


I (Don't) Remember

by powblam



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Complete, Fluff, Head Injury, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Memory Loss, Mild Blood, in the form of re-injuring oneself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/powblam/pseuds/powblam
Summary: After a grueling head injury during practice, Hinata suffers from memory loss - not remembering anything from his last year of middle school to the present day. How will Karasuno deal with the loss of their ultimate decoy? More importantly, what will Kageyama do when his best rival (and ally) doesn't even remember him?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 38
Kudos: 252
Collections: Haikyuu best fics vluv99, Haikyuu14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Some disclaimers real quick: This story is purely fiction. I am not a medical professional, so do not perceive what I have written as reality. Any depiction of injuries, diagnosis, or treatment is solely based on quick internet searches done by me and were tweaked to fit this narrative. If you sustain an injury, especially a head injury, FOLLOW YOUR DOCTORS ORDERS! Don't reference this fanfic for any medical advice. 
> 
> This fanfic was inspired by a tiktok I saw not too long ago, and decided to apply the scenario to one of my favorite pairings. This was going to originally be a short one shot, but as I have been adding to the story, it keeps on getting longer. So I decided to split the story up into chapters. It will probably have about 3 or 4 chapters total. 
> 
> There is a depiction of the injury along with mentions of blood during that scene. I have marked where the initial injury along with the graphic depictions start with a * sign. When the graphic part is done, I remarked it with a * sign, although there are brief mentions of the injury or blood throughout this first chapter.
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated! 
> 
> Enjoy!

“One more!” Hinata called out as he made his way toward the back end of the court, preparing for another spike. 

“Right!” Both Yachi and Kageyama called back in unison before Yachi reached for another ball and gently tossed it to the dark haired setter. With quick movements from Hinata running into a spike and Kageyama jumping with his toss, the duo completed a successful attack. The ball slammed into the wooden floor along with the dozens of others scattered across the floor. 

A clap rang out in the gym “Alright,” coach Ukai spoke from the sidelines, standing with the third years, “Enough extra practice. Time to clean up and head home.” 

Hinata made a small pout with his mouth, “But I feel like I haven’t hit the ball enough today.”

Ukai crossed his arms, “In order to play volleyball at your best, you need to get some rest.” 

Tanaka came from the cleaning closet in the gym, “Oh! He rhymed! You made it sound cool, coach!” Hinata gasped as his eyes gleamed, “Oh, you’re right! It did rhyme!” 

Ukai let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers, earning a laugh from the third years still standing near him, “The point is that you guys need to clean up and go home. Eat dinner. Rest, and we’ll continue with practice tomorrow.” 

“Ok,” Hinata replied, then turned to Kageyama, “I bet I can pick up more balls than you can” He challenged, taking a running start to the other side of the gym. 

Kageyama ran after the shorter boy, “No you can’t you idiot!” 

It turns out Kageyama was the faster one to gather up the balls around the court, giving him another point in their competition (“33 to 30” Kageyama declared, to which Hinata rebutted “It’s 32 to 30! Don’t start cheating!”). Soon the gym was cleaned and cleared out with the team slowly trickling out of the locker room, saying their goodbyes along the way. Hinata walked with his bike on one side and Kageyama on the other toward the front entrance of the school. 

“Y-you did good today,” Kageyama said to the short spiker, making Hinata look in his direction. 

“Yeah it’s still weird hearing you give out compliments,” Hinata remarked, resulting in Kageyama glaring at him, “I do love compliments, don’t get me wrong, but when they come from you it makes me think there’s something wrong with you. Are you feeling ok?” Hinata joked before dodging an arm swinging in his direction. 

“Shut up!” Kageyama growled out while swinging his arm to catch Hinata, “You complain that I don’t give you compliments, then when I do you tell me it’s weird!” The taller boy managed to grasp Hinata's hair and gave it a tug, earning a small gasp from Hinata along with a small noise, making Kageyama retract his hand quickly. 

Noticing that the painful tug didn’t last long (usually Hinata had to beg for mercy in order for Kageyama to stop), Hinata glanced at Kageyama, noticing that he seemed a little unsettled. “That’s another thing too,” Hinata started while rubbing the patch of hair Kageyama gripped, “You’re not as touchy as you used to be.” 

“Huh?!” Kageyama looked at Hinata with a confused expression.

Hinata returned the hand nursing his hair (even though it wasn’t bad) to the handlebar of his bike, “Well, it’s just that you are always attacking me - don’t give me that look you heard me right - but your physical with those attacks, whether it’s pushing me or grabbing my hair, and recently you’ve been distant. You just grumble and glare now.” 

“I can’t believe you are upset that I am not ‘attacking’ you anymore. Isn’t that something to be relieved by?”

“You can, you know?” 

Kageyama squinted his eyes, “Can what?”

Hinata bit his bottom lip, “Continue touching me. I don’t mind it.” 

Kageyama gave him a baffled look. 

“Wait - ok I do mind it if it hurts!” Hinata added on, “But still, it’s something I got used to and now you don’t do it anymore. I wouldn’t mind if the attacks were a little more gentle, though. So, yeah. You can come at me, I won’t break.” Hinata finished with a nod of his head, making Kageyama sigh. 

“Whatever, I’m heading home now,” Kageyama said as he began walking away.

“Ok, toss to me a lot tomorrow Kageyama!” Hinata called out before getting on his bike, peddling in the opposite direction. 

The next day went on like any normal day would, classes throughout the day, and then practice after school. 

“Alright,” Coach Ukai called out to the team as they all huddled around, “We’re going to start with a practice match to see where we are still struggling. We have a little more than a month to prepare for the first rounds of spring nationals qualifying matches. Treat this as a real game, got it?” When the team replied back with a loud “Yes,” the coach gave a nod, “Let’s split up and get started.” 

The practice match started, with Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Daichi, and Yamaguchi on one team (no jerseys), and Suga, Asahi, Nishinoya, Narita, Kinoshita, and Tsukishima on the other team (jerseys). The first couple of points went to team jersey as Hinata couldn't get past the tall block of Tsukishima and Asahi (which wouldn’t bother Hinata as much if it weren’t for the smug look on Tsukishima’s face after every shut out). 

“Hey” Hinata was pulled out of his glaring contest with Tsukishima only to find Kageyama glaring at him also, earning an “Eek!” from the shorter player, “this isn’t the first time you faced a wall when spiking. Remember what you have to do?” 

“Well duh,” Hinata replied, “How could I forget? I’m just getting warmed up is all!” He reassured his setter. 

“Now’s not the time to warm up, we’re in a game you dumbass!” Kageyama retorted, “Start getting some points or I’m not tossing to you.”

Hinata’s face turned mortified at the threat (Kageyama doesn’t joke around when he says he won’t toss to you) making him squeal out a “yes!” before slapping his hands on his face, trying to give himself a wake up call. “If all you needed was a smack to your face, I would’ve been more than happy to help” Kageyama said as he approached Hinata, warming his arm up to deliver a good slap to the shorter boy. A gruff cough turned the duo's attention to Daichi standing on the other side of Hinata, who was giving a silent but deadly look to them, “Save the bickering for off the court, alright?” Daichi ordered, making them both agree in fear before turning back to the game. 

****

The game progressed with the no jersey team sitting at twenty points while the jersey team stayed close at eighteen points. Asahi delivered a strong jump serve, to which Yamaguchi caught but the receive was off and the ball was going way off left of the court. Determined to keep the ball in play Hinata ran toward the ball and spun around to do an overhand pass to Kageyama. Kageyama watched as Hinata received the ball but noticed that his footing was off. ‘ _He’s going to fall’_ Kageyama thought, and called out “Hinata!” to try and warn him but it was too late. With his feet throwing off his balance, his arms occupied in passing the ball, and with how fast he ran into the receive, Hinata had no time to react as his body slammed into the floor. His head bounced off of the hard surface from the force, loud enough to create a crunching ‘thump’ sound from the contact. Hinata went motionless on the floor and the gym went quiet, everyone stunned in silence. 

Kageyama was the first to move, running over to Hinata, causing the rest of the team to follow. Coach Ukai directed his attention to Takeda, “Call an ambulance!” He yelled before joining the others surrounding Hinata. 

“Hinata?” Kageyama asked with a shaky voice, hoping to get some sort of reply from his teammate. No reply came. Kageyama noticed that Hinata’s eyes were open but they were unfocused with his pupils dilated. His breathing was very slow and shallow. Kageyama’s eyes roamed Hinata’s face, then his head, causing Kageyama to gasp.

“Blood” Kageyama said out loud, seeing a small pool begin to form on the gym floor, staining Hinata’s hair red. 

“Shit, towel!” Ukai demanded, seeing Suga already running toward their pile of towels on the other side of the court. Suga came back with a towel in hand and joined Kageyama in kneeling over Hinata. “Be careful not to move him too much,” Ukai cautioned Suga, who slowly and gently placed the towel onto the wound. Suga turned to Ukai, “Should I put pressure on the wound?” Unsure of what to do, Ukai looked to Takeda who was still talking with the operator, passing the question on. After a few seconds of listening to the operator's answer, Takeda shook his head, “We don’t know the extent of the head injury, applying pressure could make it worse if the skull is fractured at all.” 

****

Other than Takeda’s conversation with the operator, the gym was eerily silent. Kageyama didn’t know what else to do other than kneel and watch as Hinata laid almost lifeless on the wooden floor. Reaching out, Kageyama took one of Hinata’s hands in his. ‘ _Cold’_ Kageyama told himself as he grasped the hand, trying to tell Hinata that he wasn’t alone. ‘ _His hands are a lot smaller than mine’_ Kageyama gave a small squeeze to Hinata’s hand, hoping for some reaction but none came. 

It felt like hours before sirens could be heard outside near the gym. Daichi ran to the entrance to direct the responders to where Hinata was. The team backed away from where Hinata was, except Kageyama and Suga. One responder came to kneel on the opposite side of Hinata, “I’m sorry but I’ll need you to move.” the woman spoke to the two still next to Hinata. Kageyama couldn’t move. He had to be next to Hinata. This was his teammate, his spiker, the other half of the ‘freak duo’. This was the same person who was there for him when no one else was - who assured Kageyama that he would always be there. 

A hand joined his grasp on Hinata, pulling Kageyama away from his thoughts, “Kageyama, we won’t be too far away. We have to let them help Hinata.” Suga spoke in a soft voice. The dark haired boy gave a small nod, removing his hand from Hinata’s, standing up, and slowly backing away to join the others nearby. Kageyama watched as the responders assessed Hinata, working quickly yet gently to tend to his wound and prep Hinata for transfer onto the stretcher. With Hinata secured on the stretcher, the first responders and Ukai began leaving the gym (it was decided that Ukai should go with while Takeda stayed behind to let the principal know of the situation). Watching them leave, Kageyama voiced two words in his head hoping they would somehow reach Hinata (but ultimately knew they wouldn’t).

‘ _I’m here’._

~~~~

Once the ambulance left, Takeda had to leave to make phone calls and tell the principal what had happened, leaving the team in Daichi’s care. Daichi made the decision to call off practice for the next couple of days, telling the team to get some rest after what they had witnessed. With that, the team made their way to the club room to pack up and leave. As Kageyama grabbed his school bag he saw Hinata’s school bag on the floor, along with his school uniform scattered around the bag (when Kageyama made a previous comment about not folding his uniform properly, Hinata replied with “I just want to get to practice faster - folding takes away time for volleyball!”). 

“His parents will probably stop by sometime today or tomorrow to pick up his stuff.” Suga commented as he stood next to Kageyama, noticing the setter staring at the belongings. “Kageyama?” Suga asked, turning his body to face him, “Are you going to be alright? This was hard for everyone to witness, but it seems to be the hardest for you.” 

Kageyama breathed out, keeping his eyes on Hinata’s bag, “There was nothing I could do to help him.” 

“There was nothing any of us could do at that moment. After calling for help the best thing to do was to do nothing. Once his wound is treated and he is healing, that is when we can help him.” Suga gave Kageyama’s shoulder a small squeeze, “I’ll be texting you over the next few days to check in. Don’t hesitate to tell me how you’re doing. Let’s head out,” Suga got a curt nod from Kageyama before following the first year out of the room, locking the door.

Later on that night, Kageyama got a text in the group chat from Ukai reaffirming Daichi’s decision of taking the next 2 days off from practice. By then the extent of Hinata’s injuries should be known and they could discuss the outcome as a team. 

Sighing, Kageyama placed his cell phone next to his pillow on his bed, thinking about how the next couple of days were going to go. Hopefully they’d go by quickly, and the mental images of today's events would disappear. 

~~~~

Coach Ukai stood in front of the team sitting at his feet, along with Takeda, Daichi, and Suga after their first practice since the incident. “So yesterday we received news on Hinata’s condition. He suffered from an open fracture on the back of his head from the fall. Luckily it wasn’t a big fracture but he had to get staples in order to close the gash. From the impact, he got a concussion and has only mild symptoms.” 

Tanaka spoke up, “Well, that’s good right? Only mild symptoms?” 

Ukai paused, glancing at Daichi and Suga before continuing, “Well, mostly mild. Once Teach and I heard about his condition, we, along with Daichi and Suga, decided to go visit Hinata to see how he was doing. When we got there, he didn’t recognize us. Along with not recognizing us, he had no idea he was on the volleyball team. By this point we were asked to leave so that the doctor could evaluate the memory loss. I got a call later that night from Hinata’s parents… Hinata is currently suffering from long term memory loss - he has no memory from his last year of middle school to now.”

Silence fell over the gym. 

“From what Hinata’s parents told us, the doctor isn’t sure how long his memory loss will last for,” Takeda chimed in, “It could last a week, months, or even be permanent.”

“So,” Nishinoya began, “Will we be able to go see Hinata at all?” 

Ukai placed his hands on his hips, “During the next few days, the doctor is going to watch Hinata’s condition, probably run a few tests to see if he’s ok. If he is doing well after, that’s when they will allow more visitors. His parents are hopeful that if he is able to see and visit with you all, that may help to regain his memory.” Ukai straightened his posture, “ For the time being, we shall continue with practice as normal - we still have our first spring national qualifying round coming up.”

Asahi cleared his throat, “Um, so does that mean we’re going to play without Hinata?” 

Ukai gave a nod with his head, “I know that it doesn’t feel ok to continue on without him here at the moment. But, knowing Hinata, he wouldn’t want us to stop playing because of him. We’ll practice, improve our individual and team skills, and secure a spot in the spring nationals. Once Hinata is able to play again we will be waiting and ready for him, alright?” With affirmative sounds coming from the team, Ukai let out a grunt, “Good. Practice is done for the day. Get the gym cleaned up and head home. We,” Ukai motioned to Takeda with his head, “will update you guys on any info we hear about Hinata.” 

As the team began shuffling about the gym, Ukai called Kageyama over, “Yes?” Kageyama asked once he reached Ukai and Takeda. 

Takeda gave Kageyama a small smile, “How have you been doing?” 

“Fine,” Kageyama lied. The past few days had been grueling on the setter. His mind couldn’t erase the events of the fall, the sound of skull against wood, the smell of sweat with blood, or Hinata’s body on the gym floor. If Kageyama wasn’t busy with something his mind drifted to the incident. When he was sleeping his memories would turn into nightmares, often with a worse outcome, causing the dark haired boy to wake up gasping for breath. He didn’t want to tell anyone how much this was affecting him, though, as everyone was already worried about Hinata. Kageyama didn’t want to add himself to that list. 

“Alright. If you do need anything, don’t be scared to ask Ukai or myself. There are also some counselors here at the school in case you need to talk about what happened.” Takeda informed Kageyama, earning a nod from the student. 

“Kageyama,” Ukai spoke, “Once Hinata is allowed visitors again, I’m going to have the team visit in small groups if possible so that we don’t overwhelm him. I’d like you to be the first one to visit him. You’ll be going with myself, Teach, Daichi, or Suga.” Ukai brought a hand to his chin, rubbing it as he continued talking, “I have a small theory that you might be able to jog some of his memories back. If you think about where his memory loss occurs, it was sometime in the last year of middle school, and that was around the time he first met you. Since then, you’ve played a major role in his life. There are cases I found where people regain their memory after either reliving a big moment in their life, or by seeing someone important to them.” Ukai sighed, “But that’s just a theory, solely based on stories from the internet, nothing else. Are you ok with that?” 

“Yeah.” Was Kageyama’s simple reply. 

“Alright, help clean up then head home. I’ll be in touch with you,” Ukai dismissed Kageyama with a nod. 

The setter helped his teammates clean up and put away the equipment quickly, trying to hurry home so he could be alone to process the news about Hinata. 

Kageyama never believed in miracles, but that didn’t stop him from wishing for one now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> A small disclaimer reminder: This story is fiction. The depictions of injury and recovery are not realistic. 
> 
> Sorry this chapter took some time. Originally when this was a one shot this part of the story was very brief, but now that I split it into chapters I had to go back and add more details. Add writers block to that and here we are. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I wasn't sure how else to fix it. I also forgot to add to my chapter one notes that this story takes place after the Tokyo training camp in season 2, but the time in between the camp and the upcoming games is drastically different from canon. 
> 
> A special thanks to FlamingPotatoArson who gave me some tips and advice with head injuries and writing! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Footsteps echoed through the hospital halls as Suga and Kageyama wandered about, looking for the room Hinata was currently in. Suga glanced at the room numbers then to his phone, referencing the text Ukai had sent with Hinata’s room number, “I think it’s at the end of this hallway,” He said while putting his phone in his pocket, peaking at Kageyama next to him, “If you feel the need to step out of the room at all during the visit, just let me know.” Suga received a nod from the younger student, before slowing down next to a room, “This is it.” 

Kageyama followed Suga into the room, who announced their arrival “Sorry for intruding” Suga said with a bow, which Kageyama copied. Looking into the room, Kageyama froze as he saw Hinata, who seemed exhausted, sitting up in the hospital bed not too far from him. Greetings from Suga interrupted Kageyama’s frozen state while another round of bows began, to Hinata’s parents and then Hinata. 

Hinata’s mother turned to Hinata, “Dear, these two boys are from the Karasuno volleyball club. Do you…?” The mother’s voice trailed off, but the rest of the question could be heard:

' _Do you remember them?'_

Hinata blinked a couple of times, taking a glance at the two players. His eyes skimmed over Suga’s face briefly before going to Kageyama’s. Time seemed to slow for Kageyama as he locked eyes with Hinata, trying to convey his thoughts through his eyes, ( _'_ _remember!')_ although it felt like he was just glaring intensely. Either way, Hinata sighed, pulling his eyes away from Kageyama’s to face his mom, “No, I don’t,” He answered while a grimace took over his expression. 

His mom approached his bedside, “Are you feeling alright? Is your head still hurting?” She asked, worry evident in her voice. A small nod came from the injured student, “My head hurts really bad, I just want to rest for a little bit,” He said, looking past his mom at the two visitors, “I’m sorry” Hinata apologized with a guilty tone. 

Reassuring words came from both Suga and Hinata’s mom, but were lost to Kageyama as his thoughts repeated over in his head, ' _He_ _doesn’t remember me. The middle school tournament. Our first 3 v 3 match. Our quick combo. The loss against Aoba Johsai. Tokyo training camp. Gone. Nothing. He. Doesn’t. Remember. Me.’_

Kageyama’s thoughts were interrupted by Hinata’s mom, who turned to the duo, motioning for the door, “We can talk out in the hall, let’s give him some rest.” 

Entering the hallway the trio took a few steps away from the room, “Hinata’s had terrible headaches since the accident. They seem to come in waves. I’m sorry you guys couldn’t see him for longer, I just don’t want to push him if he’s in pain.” 

Suga gave a reassuring smile, “That’s no problem at all. We understand, and we also don’t want him hurting himself further. We wanted to see how he was doing, and of course see if he had any recollection of either of us,” Suga motioned at Kageyama and himself. 

“It’s hard,” Hinata’s mom started, “because what’s happening is rare from what the doctors have said. You don’t just hit your head and all of a sudden lose memories. Usually there’s some sort of prior injury.” 

“Ah..” Suga sounded, “Well I don’t know if Hinata has told you this at all, but he has been hit quite a few times in the head with a volleyball during practices and games,” Her eyebrows raised in surprise at hearing the statement, “I’m guessing from your reaction that he never did.” 

“No, no he didn’t,” She replied, “but that could explain the severity of his memory loss? I’ll bring it up to the doctors.” 

Kageyama decided to finally join the discussion, “Are the doctors still unsure how long this will last?” 

Hinata’s mom hugged her arms around herself, “They think it might be temporary since the memory loss came out of nowhere, but we were also told to be prepared for the possibility that the memory loss is permanent. Again, in Shoyo’s case, this side effect is rare so the doctors aren’t sure what to expect.” 

Kageyama let out a breath from hearing the news, dread filling his stomach along with the sudden urge to leave, “Sorry, Suga. I forgot I have to be somewhere soon.” He lied, bidding a quick farewell before leaving the two in the hallway, hearing Suga call out after him. With fast steps Kageyama made it outside of the hospital before breaking into a sprint, running away from Hinata, away from his mind, trying to run away from everything. He kept at it all the way back to his house, his breaths coming out in harsh pants that dried his throat and burned his lungs with every inhale and exhale. 

Entering his room, Kageyama collapsed onto his bed, his heavy breathing soon turning into sobs as the severity of the situation hit him - The Hinata he knew no longer existed and may never come back. From Hinata’s first middle school volleyball tournament up to his last practice before the incident, so many changes and events happened to the shorter boy. 

He knew very little about volleyball coming to Karasuno, but Hinata trained harder than anyone to show his potential and determination. He was able to become part of an official team, pushing him to work together with them and grow with them. Learning the quick combo gave Hinata a way to fight despite his height, and his decoy skills showed off his speed and agility. Opponents like Aoba Johsai, Date Tech, Nekoma, and Fukurodani challenged the spiker to learn new moves and adapt to different situations on the court. Not to mention all of the people Hinata had met and the mark each of them left with the shorter boy. 

While Hinata grew as a person and player, Kageyama was also changed. Hinata was the first one to put all of his trust into the setter and accept any toss from Kageyama. The status of ‘king of the court’ didn’t hinder Hinata’s attitude toward Kageyama as it had in the past with others. The spiker also believed in Kageyama’s genius skills, never worrying that Kageyama wouldn’t be able to adjust his toss for their new quick or that the ball would never make it to Hinata. The setter had his fair share of errors throughout the current volleyball season but Hinata was there with encouraging words (even if Kageyama brushed him off or told him to shut up). Their rivalry kept Kageyama on his toes, never backing down from a challenge from the orange haired boy. And his strongest rival was his strongest ally on the court.

It was through their journey together of growth and change that the setter also began developing deeper feelings for his spiker. While they were rivals, Hinata was also Kageyama’s best friend. Hinata was able to understand his mannerisms, tendencies, and actions better than anyone he had met previously. There was a natural pull between them - maybe it had to do with how bubbly, loud, and outgoing Hinata was to anyone he met, or their shared determination and passion for volleyball. Even so, Kageyama was drawn into the light that was Hinata, and soon found himself wanting more than just friendship. 

That’s why the extent of Hinata’s memory loss ripped at Kageyama - temporary or not. The person that Hinata grew to be was now gone, and took a part of Kageyama with. 

~~~~

Almost a week had passed since Kageyama went to visit Hinata in the hospital for the first time. A few of the other team members also saw Hinata, but to no avail, causing Hinata’s parents to stop the visits all together since the spiker was becoming too overwhelmed by what he couldn’t remember. 

It was the end of volleyball practice, as Kageyama was leaving the gym to change out of his practice clothes, that Takeda stopped him, “Could we talk quickly, Kageyama?” With a nod, the teacher and student waited until they were the last in the gym. 

“So I’ve been talking with the school board on what we should do with Hinata academically, since he technically doesn't remember anything he has learned this past school year. What we are planning to do is have Hinata continue school where he left off to give him a sense of normalcy. Then either have his teacher or I give him tutoring lessons to fill in the gaps that he has missed. He’ll have to take supplementary courses once the school year is done no matter what, but this plan should prevent him from having to repeat his first year of high school.” Takeda explained to Kageyama. 

“Um”, Kageyama interrupted, “I don’t mean to sound rude by asking this, but why are you telling me this?” A startled look overcame Kageyama’s face after asking, “N-Not that it’s a bad idea or anything. I think it’s great that you and the other teachers are doing this for him.” 

Giving a small laugh, Takeda brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck, “Well, it’s because you’re part of the plan. We are hoping to put Hinata in your class and have you keep an eye on him, help him with homework, be his friend during this predicament.”

“But, why me? Hinata has friends in his class.” 

A sigh left Takeda’s mouth, resting his hands in his pockets, “Is it bad to say that I’m on the same page as Ukai? Since you were a big part of those memories that he lost I believe that he might regain them if he is around you for longer periods of time. I heard that the hospital visit didn’t go too well for you,” Takeda commented, causing Kageyama to look at the floor, “But with time, I’m sure Hinata will regain his memories and be back on the court with you.” 

Kageyama took his eyes off the floor, meeting Takeda’s gaze and smile, “If this doesn’t work for Hinata then we’ll take him out of regular classes and set up more personalized learning for him. But,” Takeda continued, “Is this ok with you? If not, we can find a slightly different arrangement for him.”

“Yes,” He replied, “I’ll.. be there for him.” 

Takeda’s smile grew, “Thank you Kageyama. I know this isn’t easy for you - from what I’ve gathered from Daichi and Suga, you’re taking this the hardest. But this will mean so much to Hinata and his family.” Giving a quick pat to the student’s shoulder, Takeda dismissed him. 

A day later, there was an announcement to all of the first year classes about Hinata’s accident and return to school, along with another announcement to the volleyball team. The main topic of the announcement was to warn students to not overwhelm Hinata with questions or comments about anything relating to the accident or to his lost memories. The volleyball team decided to leave Hinata alone for the time being, and let the previous spiker come back to volleyball if he desired. 

The next day, Kageyama walked into class to find his teacher talking to an orange haired boy - a very familiar orange haired boy. Upon seeing Kageyama, the teacher called him over, “Hinata, this is Kageyama,” Kageyama bowed politely at Hinata, “He’ll be around to help you as you readjust to school, so feel free to talk to him or ask him any questions, alright?” With a nod from Hinata, the teacher walked to the front of the room, preparing to start class. 

“Uhm,” Kageyama began, but wasn’t given a chance to speak as Hinata asked, “You were one of the students that came to visit me while I was in the hospital, right?” 

Caught off guard at Hinata’s sudden question, Kageyama gave a simple nod as his answer, “Ok, I was just checking,” The orange haired student clarified, “ Hoping I wasn’t forgetting that either,” Hinata said with an unconvincing laugh. 

Kageyama felt a pang of sadness at Hinata’s reaction, “How have you been feeling? You had headaches when I was there to visit,” Kageyama recalled, hoping to hear some good news for the shorter boy. 

“I’m doing better. The headaches are gone but I was warned that they could come back. Other than that I get dizzy spells, but that’s all I have for now. My doc said more side effects could show up as the days go on. I’m just glad the headaches are gone.” Hinata complained, but before he could continue talking, the teacher called for the students to sit down as class was about to begin. 

With a quick wave to Hinata, Kageyama went to his seat, and soon the teacher began class, going right into the topic of history. The setter could feel himself slowly losing focus on the subject, eyes wandering to Hinata who sat a couple rows away from him, near the front of the class. Kageyama thought about the qualifying rounds coming up in a few weeks, and thought about how the team would fare without their freak duo on the court. Not that the team was strong only because of the duo - all of the players brought their own strengths to the court. And after the Tokyo training camp there were many other weapons in Karasuno’s arsenal to use in a game. Even so, the quick combo was one of those polished weapons. 

There was also the problem of Hinata not being there in general - all of the moral support and energy he brought to each game. His passion for playing and staying on the court longer affected each teammate, making (most of) them give each play their all (except Tsukishima, who would scoff at the idea of Hinata affecting him in any positive way).

Now Kageyama’s mind was stuck on volleyball, thinking about practicing his serve to perfect it a little more, continuing to practice his drop set for Hinata (so he wasn’t rusty if - when - Hinata returned to volleyball). 

Kageyama blinked a few times, bringing himself back to reality, his teacher still rambling on. Kageyama internally cursed at himself for daydreaming. Because now that Hinata was in his class and would need help with homework, Kageyama had to make sure that HE knew what was going on in class. Hinata would most likely go to Kageyama first with anything homework related due to the fact that Kageyama was the only person he knew as of now. In order to understand what was being taught (in case Hinata had any questions for him), he had to actually give effort to his school work and pay attention now. 

This may be harder than Kageyama had anticipated. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some bonding time between the boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> As I said before this story was going to be a one shot before I decided to split it into chapters. The end of this chapter was where I decided to stop my writing in order to split up the story, edit each part, and then post. So now the updates may take longer but I do have an outline for the remainder of the story! There will be 2 more chapters (if I don't stray from my outline). 
> 
> I am very satisfied with this chapter because of the interactions between the 2 dorks (we also get to see a caring Kageyama!). I hope you all like it as much as I do! 
> 
> Enjoy!

A week had passed since Hinata came back to school. It didn’t take long for Kageyama and Hinata to warm up to each other as the orange hair boy’s outgoing personality hadn’t changed in the accident. It was still difficult for Kageyama, though, having to remind himself that Hinata didn’t remember their previous friendship/rivalry (whatever you wanted to call it). Meaning there were topics, mainly volleyball, that Kageyama couldn’t discuss with his former spiker, resulting in some awkward conversations (with Kageyama apologizing but Hinata reassuring him with a warm smile every time). 

Within this week the duo made a routine: morning classes, eat lunch together, afternoon classes. Once school was over, Hinata would stay after for tutoring lessons while Kageyama went to volleyball practice. Since Hinata’s school week was filled with classes and tutoring (which took a toll in the form of headaches), it was decided that the weekend would be for free time. Or any study time if Hinata _absolutely_ needed it, and if Kageyama knew the material - although Yachi offered to help anyway she could. 

Kageyama placed his empty milk box on the ground next to his feet, leaning his body against the wall he and Hinata were occupying for lunch. Kageyama closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin and a light breeze rustling his hair. Next to him, Hinata finished the last of his lunch and packed his bento box, “Hey Kageyama, what do you want to do this Saturday?” 

“Huh?” Kageyama grunted. 

“I’m asking what you want to do this Saturday? We could do some shopping - not that I need anything, but if you do, or just walk around. We could go to the movies, there’s a new comedy out that looks funny. Or we could just hang out at my place or yours? Do some homework together, then relax.” Hinata brought his knees up to his chest, “Just throwing out some ideas.” 

“You know we don’t have to hang out every weekend, right?” Kageyama said, before clarifying his statement, “If you want to spend some time with your family or just rest on the weekends that’s fine too.”

Hinata rested his arms on his knees, looking over at Kageyama, using this chance to watch him without looking weird, “I know. But I like spending time with you,” He stated before copying Kageyama, leaning back, eyes closed, basking in the sunlight. 

Kageyama peaked at Hinata with one eye before closing it again, “Any particular reason why?” He asked with (very small) hopes that maybe some memories were slowly coming back to the orange haired boy. 

“I feel comfortable around you, and it just feels right - being close to you.” 

It was Kageyama’s turn to look at Hinata, watching him while Hinata’s words echoed in his head. Even though the two didn’t get along initially, once they formed their quick attack and trust, they were inseparable. Their similar goals, determination, and time together built a bond between the duo that seemed to still be there, even if the memories that created the bond were not. 

This idea tugged at Kageyama’s heart. Hinata didn’t remember the setter, yet he still felt the need to be near. At that moment, Kageyama wanted to pull the shorter boy into an embrace, hold him tight, and plead for him to come back. 

The school bell ringing pulled Kageyama away from his thoughts, both boys looking toward one of the school doors they were near before getting up to walk back to class. Kageyama saw orange sway in front of him, but before Hinata could lose his balance Kageyama was next to him, an arm around his shoulder providing support. “You ok?” Kageyama asked. 

“Yeah, sorry. Got dizzy when I stood up,” Hinata replied with a small smile, although the taller boy felt sadness from the smile. Kageyama released Hinata before following behind the orange haired student - in case he was dizzy again. Before the accident, Hinata was always an ‘act now, think later’ type of person, his energy knowing no bounds. Now, the energizer bunny was restrained by random dizzy or nausea spells. It must be hard, Kageyama imagined, for someone who was so used to springing into action being held back. 

As they walked through the halls, Kageyama spoke up, “I’m ok with whatever you want to do this Saturday, so just text me when you decide on a plan.” The reply earned a genuine smile from Hinata and an affirmative “Yes!” before they entered their classroom. 

The rest of the week quickly passed and Saturday had arrived. Hinata decided today the two would eat lunch in town, then go back to Kageyama’s house (cause he lived closer to town) and do homework. They met at a fast food chain and ate lunch, Kageyama quietly listening to Hinata complain about his extra tutor sessions. Once they were done eating, they headed to Kageyama’s house and settled down in Kageyama’s room, both sitting on the floor to start their homework. 

It only took five minutes of study time before Hinata lost his focus, “Let’s do something else! I don’t want to look at English right now,” He decided, looking over at the dark haired boy, who was sitting crossed legged nearby, silently working on a different assignment. Receiving no response, Hinata lied down on the floor in front of where Kageyama was working, positioning his head near Kageyama’s lap, looking up at Kageyama’s face. Still not receiving a response, Hinata poked Kageyama’s head, finally getting his attention. 

An unamused glare was fixed on Hinata, “You’re the one who wanted to do homework.” 

Hinata crossed his arms, “Yeah, well that’s before I started doing the homework. And before I realized how tired of school I am, so let’s do something else!” 

Kageyama sighed before putting his notebook next to him on the floor, turning back toward Hinata, “There’s really nothing much to do here. We could go to the living room and try to find something on TV?” 

A confused expression crossed Hinata’s face, who rolled over before pushing himself up on his arms, now face to face with Kageyama, “What do you mean there’s nothing to do?” Hinata leaned forward a little, causing Kageyama to lean back, trying to create space between them, “You can’t possibly just do homework all the time!? What do you do in your free time?” Just as Hinata finished his question, his eyes flickered to something orange behind Kageyama. 

Turning his attention away from the taller boy’s face, Hinata looked at the source that caught his eye. Hanging up on Kageyama’s wall was a black jersey with orange on the sides and collar, with a big number 9 in the middle of it. Hinata went silent and stared at the jersey, slightly squinting his eyes at the familiarity of the design. Kageyama followed Hinata’s line of sight, turning his body to see his jersey was what caught Hinata’s eyes. 

“That’s…” Hinata started.

“My volleyball jersey,” Kageyama finished the sentence. 

Hinata’s eyes drifted from the athletic wear to Kageyama’s desk nearby. A volleyball was propped on the corner of the bland desk, along with a laptop in the middle and a lamp in the other corner, “Do… do you practice volleyball in your free time?” He asked as his eyes went back to the jersey. 

“Yeah,” Came the small reply from Kageyama, who was still facing his jersey. 

“I played volleyball with you, right? Before my accident?” Hinata asked, receiving a second small “yeah,” from the dark haired boy. Another question came from Hinata, “Was I good?”

“You were,” Kageyama quickly replied, before turning to face Hinata, who also returned his attention to the setter. Kageyama took a breath in, forgetting how close Hinata was previously, and was now face to face with the shorter boy, “You are good.” 

The duo stared at each other silently for a few seconds, with Kageyama being the first one to push away, scooting back a little. Hinata bit his lip, not pleased with the new distance between them, before settling back on his knees, “Why haven’t I heard anything from the club if I used to play? The coaches and some of the teammates came to see me, including you, when I was in the hospital. Why isn’t anyone reaching out now other than you?” Hinata worried his lip more intently, “Am I not wanted on the team anymore because of what happened?”

Kageyama furrowed his brows at the last question, “Of course we want you back! Dumbass!” He leaned forward, flicking Hinata’s forehead, earning a yelp from the orange haired student who was now rubbing the sore spot. Kageyama cursed to himself, having accidentally returned to his old aggressive habits with Hinata (who, because of the memory loss, didn’t know that Kageyama was capable of this ‘friendly’ banter). 

Hinata pulled his hand away from his forehead, “But then why-” but Kageyama didn’t let him finish. 

“We didn’t want to force you.”

Seeing the confused look on Hinata’s face, Kageyama began to explain, “We didn’t want to force you back into volleyball since you didn’t remember playing on the team. It was thought that if the club reached out to you and had you come to practice that we’d be trying to put you back exactly where you left off. Like putting you into someone else’s shoes, and then carrying these expectations and trying to achieve them. We didn’t want that.” 

“Oh,” Hinata said, bringing his eyes to the floor. A pause filled the room, “I’m trying, you know?” Hinata whispered as he brought his attention back to Kageyama, “trying to remember.” It was so difficult, but how would Hinata be able to explain the feeling of emptiness and loss within his new routine? The feeling of something missing from his life. The vague familiarity of objects, topics, or people that can’t be pinpointed, and any attempt to further pull on the familiar feeling leading to a blank slate in his mind. Then the frustration of knowing, deep down, a memory existed - was there - but now was nowhere to be found. 

“We know,” Kageyama replied, “but don’t push yourself too hard. Once you do remember, the team will be waiting for you,” Kageyama stopped to emphasize, “I’ll be waiting for you.” 

Kageyama’s words echoed in Hinata’s head - _‘I’ll be waiting for you’_. “Ok,” Hinata nodded, “Yeah, ok,” He went silent for a couple of seconds, trying to find the right words but settling with, “Thank you for that.” 

Kageyama returned the nod, “Do… do you still want to watch TV?” 

With a quick “Yes!” from Hinata (as if nothing had happened), the duo made their way to the living room, scrolling through channels to find something to watch. 

~~~~

Monday came and went, with Hinata walking out of the school building early since his teacher had an appointment to go to and was unable to get any other teacher to fill in the rest of the tutor time. Which was more than fine by Hinata, who enjoyed actually having some of his day left to do whatever. 

As Hinata approached the entry gates of the school he heard a small smack sound from behind him, stopping him in his tracks. The short student listened as another soon followed the first. Checking his phone, Hinata looked to the entry gate (where his bike was sitting) then to the vague area that the sound was coming from. Figuring he had extra time Hinata put his phone back in his bag and began following the sound. Slowly, Hinata found himself next to the school gym, the smacks louder than before. Seeing the gym door propped open curiosity got to the orange haired boy, so he decided to enter, maybe meet some new people, try something new, who knows? 

Hinata kept his eyes on the ground (as there was a step in front of the entrance, and the last thing he needed was to trip in front of a bunch of strangers), but once he was in the gym his attention was brought to the source of the sound. In the center of the gym was a volleyball net and toward one end of the court stood Kageyama. Hinata watched in silence as Kageyama tossed a ball in the air and took a running approach before jumping, his arm coming back for a swing. As beautiful as the jump was, Hinata had a sudden urge to say something - anything. 

Acting on impulse, Hinata yelled out “Kageyama!” causing the other student to lose his focus, landing on his feet to turn his head to find Hinata in the doorway. The ball landed on Kageyama’s head, causing him to grunt before sounds of the ball hitting the floor echoed in the gym. 

“Hinata?” Kageyama asked as he continued to stare at the confused boy, “Uhm, what are you doing here? Don’t you have tutoring today?” He waited for a response, but all Kageyama got was silence as Hinata’s face contorted into a lost expression, mixed with some disbelief. 

_‘That felt like deja vu just now.’_ Hinata voiced in his head, _‘I saw Kageyama do that before, but it was a little different. Why is the color red coming to mind?’_ He tried processing these images he could see in his head, very similar to what just happened, but just slightly off, _‘Is this a memory?’_ Hinata’s breathing picked up at the idea - a memory coming back?! 

“Hinata!” Kageyama called out with a more powerful tone, making his way to Hinata to grab both of his shoulders, trying to get the shorter boy's attention. Hinata gasped as the voice rang through his ears, pulling him out of the trance he was in, noticing that Kageyama was standing in front of him, his face wearing a scared look, “Are you ok?” Kageyama questioned Hinata, noticing that he had the former spiker’s attention now. 

A nod came from Hinata, “Yeah, I’m ok,” Hinata was going to joke ‘ _were you worried about me Kageyama?’_ but decided not to after seeing how truly worried the volleyball player seemed. Which made sense, once Hinata thought about it, since Kageyama witnessed his head injury. It must have been hard on Kageyama, watching a fellow teammate get injured, and not to mention the side effects of the injury - adding salt to the wound. 

“Are you sure?” Kageyama asked with uncertainty in his voice, his grip on Hinata’s shoulders squeezing slightly.

Hinata wore a small smile, “Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, it was just a little overwhelming coming back here, knowing what happened last time I was here.” Hinata lied, deciding to keep the possibility of a recovered memory to himself. He didn’t want to tell Kageyama about it, and get their hopes up if it turned out to not be a memory. For now, Hinata would think the images over and see what happened. 

A sigh left Kageyama’s mouth before pulling his hands away from Hinata’s shoulders, “Ok, as long as you feel ok,” He pushed the sleeves of his sweater up, “But back to what I was asking you when you got here - what are you doing here?” 

“My teacher had to leave early for an appointment, and I guess there weren’t any other available teachers that could continue the lesson so I was let out early!” Hinata followed Kageyama, who was walking back to the ball basket near where he was serving, “As I was leaving I could hear the sounds of the volleyball - or well just sounds since I didn’t know what was making the sounds - and I followed them to here. So now here I am!” Hinata finished while putting down his school bag in a corner, “But I guess I could sort of ask you the same thing. Why are you here alone?”

Kageyama held a volleyball in his hand, twirling it a couple of times, “The club just had a meeting today, since we have our preliminary matches for spring nationals coming this weekend. But I still wanted to get some practice in.” 

“Oh,” Hinata said as a sense of sorrow and guilt overcame him, ‘ _I should be going with them. I would have, if…’_ He quickly stopped the heavy thoughts, remembering that Kageyama said they were waiting for him, and he made a silent promise to himself that he would return, “So, will you be gone for the whole weekend?” 

“For these prelim rounds, we only have two matches. If we win both, we’ll be gone until late Saturday. I’ll be free on Sunday, if you want to study or hang out.” Kageyama gave the volleyball another couple of spins in his hand. 

Hinata shook his head, “No that’s fine! You rest! I was just wondering,” His eyes went from Kageyama’s face to the volleyball currently spinning. The taller boy stopped the ball, resting it between his two hands, giving Hinata a chance to study Kageyama’s hands. They were definitely bigger than Hinata’s, and his fingers were longer, slender. His nails were neatly trimmed and filed - why were they so _perfect_? 

Kageyama noticed Hinata walking towards him, and before he could say anything, the former spiker took one of Kageyama’s hands into his, examining it, “You have nice hands” He simply stated before looking at Kageyama, “Why are they so nice?”

A blush crept up on Kageyama’s cheeks, never having anyone tell him his hands were _nice_ or have anyone hold them as gently as Hinata was at that moment. Kageyama turned his head to hide the burning tint on his face, eyes seeking refuge by looking at the floor, “W-Well, I’m a setter. I have to keep my hands in good condition in order to play better.” 

Hinata bit his bottom lip, still studying Kageyama’s hand, “Setter…” he mumbled. An idea popped into Hinata’s head, causing him to grasp Kageyama’s hand, “Show me!” Hinata announced, now studying Kageyama. 

Kageyama whipped his head back to face Hinata, “Huh?”

Hinata gave a squeeze to the hand in his, “Show me how to set! Show me how to play!” He began dragging Kageyama toward the center of the court. 

“W-Wait!” Kageyama stopped walking, tugging Hinata back a little, “We don’t have to. I don’t want you to force yourself to play.” 

Hinata faced Kageyama with a warm smile, “I’m not forcing myself. I want to learn - trust me. So, can we?” 

Kageyama stared at their linked hands before moving to Hinata’s face, seeing a familiar fiery glint in his eyes. How could Kageyama say no in such a predicament? “Fine, but if it becomes too much at all, we stop, alright?” 

“Alright!” Hinata agreed with a wider grin, turning back to go onto the court with Kageyama’s hand still in his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> This chapter was a big oof. I had my outline but writers block plagued me once again. I think it's because I started another fic with KageHina and my mind kept drifting to what I would write for that fic rather than this one (but I told myself to finish this story first!). 
> 
> There's only one chapter left, though! How exciting! I'll try to have it out as soon as I can! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Kageyama let out a heavy breath as the whistle rang across the gymnasium, the referee signaling the end of the game between Kakugawa and Karasuno - Karasuno taking two straight sets. Using the back of his hand, Kageyama wiped sweat from his forehead while peering at the 6’7” player on Kakugawa’s team that proved to be a challenge throughout the game. It was clear that the tall student didn’t have much experience in volleyball, but he proved to have one hell of a block. And without Karasuno’s greatest decoy there to toy with the blocker, it was trickier to get around the wall he created. That didn’t stop Karasuno from winning, though, clearing through Ohgi Minami High earlier and now Kakugawa High school - earning their placement in future preliminary rounds for spring nationals. 

The teams lined up and bowed, shaking hands and thanking their audience before packing up and leaving the gymnasium. As Kageyama waited for the others to get in the van, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Hinata.

**Kageyama:** _We won both games. Just got done with our last match, heading back now._

Pocketing his phone (cause he wasn’t expecting a response right away) Kageyama was dragged into a conversation with Nishinoya and Tanaka sitting in front of him. It didn’t take long for the fired up duo to distract themselves with the other players on the van, leaving Kageyama to his thoughts. He reflected on the matches that just occurred, what his team (and himself) needed to improve on, and the absence of their greatest decoy (maybe it was just Kageyama, but the team didn’t seem as loud as they usually were). The exertion from today's volleyball games stopped his mind from wandering too much as drowsiness took over. 

A nudge on his shoulder startled the setter causing him to look around, only to find Daichi standing next to his seat, “Sorry,” Daichi began, retracting his hand from Kageyama’s shoulder, “You looked so peaceful sleeping I almost didn’t want to wake you, but we’re back at school.” 

Kageyama also apologized, letting out a yawn, unaware he had even fallen asleep. He followed Daichi off of the van, gathered his belongings, and said goodbyes to everyone before walking home. 

By the time Kageyama arrived at his house, it was already dark outside, and the fatigue from earlier caught up to him now that he was home. Kageyama quickly greeted his parents once entering his house and made his way to his room. He showered, ate dinner, and unpacked his belongings from his bags before settling into his bed for the night. Kageyama checked his phone to see if Hinata had responded, but no new messages were showing up on his screen. With a sigh, Kageyama placed his phone on his nightstand and fell into a deep slumber. 

The next day Kageyama woke up to a few new messages on his phone.

**Hinata:** _OMG yay! congrats on the wins!_

**Hinata:** _srry for replying so late I had the worst headache yesterday_

Kageyama replied with a quick ‘It’s ok’, setting his phone next to his pillow on his bed. Lying in his bed, the setter tried to decide what to do for the day. There was no practice since they just had their games yesterday. And there wasn’t really anyone he could have an extra practice with - so volleyball seemed out of the picture for the day (well, actually, he _could_ work on his serving). There was homework due for tomorrow that Kageyama should probably start now, but felt no motivation in doing so. Vibrations from his phone caught his attention. 

**Hinata:** _do u want to hang out today??? theres a park nearby the school we could meet up at_

Well that solved Kageyama’s problem. They sent a few texts back and forth discussing what time they should meet up at. Since they decided to meet late in the afternoon, Kageyama planned to do his homework before seeing Hinata (treating the meetup as a reward for his hard work). As Kageyama got up from his bed, his phone vibrated once more. 

**Hinata:** _bring a volleyball_

~~~~

The park was vacant by the time Kageyama arrived which the student found a little shocking since it was a Sunday. But that didn’t bother him too much since that meant him and Hinata could use more of the park to practice volleyball… right? That’s why he was told to bring a volleyball? 

Discarding his bag at a nearby bench Kageyama walked around the park, passing the time by setting the ball in the air. He wasn’t left alone for long, though, as the sound of a bike approaching pulled Kageyama’s attention away from his sets and instead towards an orange haired student. 

“Kageyama!” Hinata waved and then glanced at the ball, “I see you brought the ball like I asked! So reliable!” 

The taller boy nodded, “Did you want to practice?” 

“Yep!” Hinata replied as he left his bike and bag next to the bench where Kageyama’s bag sat, “I want to practice passing and talk about yesterday's matches.” 

Kageyama rested the volleyball on his hip, giving Hinata a teasing glare, “Are you sure you’re able to multitask?” 

Hinata bristled at the remark, “Yes I can thank you very much!” He retorted before preparing for a pass, waiting on Kageyama. 

Sending a toss at Hinata, the duo started, and fell into a comfortable silence with only the sound of the volleyball connecting with skin echoing between them. About a minute passed before Hinata decided to speak up, “So… How did the games go yesterday? Were the teams challenging?” 

Kageyama squatted low to receive a pass, “They went ok. There was a student on one of the opposing teams that was 6’7” tall, so he was a little challenging.” 

A squeak came from Hinata, “How can anyone be that tall? That’s not fair. But you guys still won against him, so that must mean he wasn’t that challenging.” 

“We do have strong teammates,” Kageyama contemplated his next words, speaking as he sent a pass, “but it would’ve been better with you there.” Just as Kageyama finished his sentence, the ball landed on the ground near Hinata, whose focus was on the ground with a guilty expression on his face. Kageyama internally cursed at himself (‘ _Good job, bakageyama, you just had to add in that last part')._

“Hinata..” Kageyama called out hesitantly, gaining the attention of the other boy, “Are you alright?” 

Blinking a couple of times, Hinata brought himself back to the present, “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Where’s the - oh,” Hinata mumbled while picking up the volleyball. 

Kageyama gritted his teeth, “Hinata, I’m sorry.” 

A fake smile was worn by Hinata, “What’s there to apologize for? Nothing, so it’s fine.” 

“I’m sorry if what I said made you feel bad in any way, that’s not how I meant it,” Kageyama tried to continue, but was stopped. 

“It’s fine, Kageyama,” Hinata said with a tone that signaled he was done with the conversation.

Kageyama persisted, trying to make things right, trying to erase that guilty look from Hinata’s face, “It’s not fine. If what I said bugged you please tell me! I don’t-” 

Hinata snapped, “I said it’s fine!” 

Both boys froze. 

Kageyama’s eyebrows were raised, taken aback by the sudden outburst. 

Hinata’s face morphed into shock, bringing one hand to cover his mouth, the other occupied with the ball. “Kageyama,” Hinata moved his hand away from his mouth, “I- I’m sorry, I-” He stopped when he noticed Kageyama walking toward him. Once in front of the shorter boy, Kageyama held out his hand, catching Hinata off guard before realizing he was asking for the volleyball. With an “oh”, Hinata handed the ball over, ready for Kageyama to turn and leave the park; leave Hinata there alone and possibly lose his only friend. 

Instead, Kageyama held the ball under one arm, and took Hinata’s hand with the other, pulling him toward the benches where their stuff was. Kageyama placed the ball on the ground and moved their bags out of the way, signaling for Hinata to sit down before joining him on the bench. 

“You probably have a lot on your mind right now,” Kageyama started, resting his hands in his lap, “If you want to talk about it, or vent about… something, I’m here.” 

Hinata glanced at Kageyama, letting out a sigh, “I’m sorry. For snapping on you. You’re right, I do have a lot going on right now. But that doesn’t make what I did just now right.” 

“It doesn’t,” Kageyama agreed, “Which is why I said I’m here for you. It’s not good to keep your feelings pent up.” He spoke from experience, recalling his time as a volleyball player in middle school. How Kageyama never took the time to talk with his teammates and see where he could help them - if he could make a toss easier, if his tosses were even ok to begin with. How the lack of communication led to his notorious nickname ‘the king of the court’. 

Silence hung over the two while Hinata tried to put together his thoughts and what he would tell Kageyama, because his mind was currently everywhere. Deciding to project about the biggest worry on his mind Hinata took a breath in, “Some of my memories are coming back,” Hinata looked to his right and saw Kageyama with an awestruck face. Hinata continued before Kageyama could add anything, “I’m starting to remember school - what class I was in, the material, even the students. But when it comes to volleyball, everything is still fuzzy.” Hinata gazed at the sky, focusing on the tints of pink emerging with the sun slowly setting, “I can see myself on the court but it feels like I have tunnel vision. Everything around me is blurry and unfocused. There’s also a view I can see over the net, and every time the view is different. I bet it looks great, but I can only see a part of it.” 

“Well, that’s still good, right?” Kageyama chimed in, not quite understanding why Hinata sounded irritated.

“No!”, Hinata’s tone hitched a little, sounding desperate as he faced Kageyama, who faced him in return, “Because everything else but volleyball is coming back! Any memory I have of volleyball is almost completely gone,” He took a breath in to calm himself down, “You probably knew that I played volleyball because of the tiny giant, right?” Receiving a nod from the dark haired boy, Hinata continued, “I don’t remember that. I only know about it because my mom told me. I remember the day I went on my bike into town, but the moment I saw him on TV? Nothing. There’s just this empty gap in my memory of that day. And that happened when I was in grade school.”

Hinata let his head drop, his voice coming out as a whisper, “I know volleyball was important to me because it feels like I’m missing something big in my life. I don’t feel the same without it.”

Hearing the hopelessness in Hinata’s voice made Kageyama’s heart hurt, as he imagined Hinata would be more than ecstatic after getting glimpses of memory back. That’s a step in the right direction, after all. Instead, the shorter boy perceived the partial memories as a tease. The one sport he loved and made his own was closer, but still out of arm's reach, no matter how much he tried grasping and stretching. And those futile struggles led to frustration; frustration that he couldn’t get out; that he let bottle up until now. 

Before Kageyama’s mind could register what was happening, his arms reached out and grabbed Hinata, tugging the boy to his chest and holding him gently. He felt Hinata tense up slightly in his arms and Kageyama copied the action as his mind caught up to what he had done. The guy who couldn’t even give his teammates a simple high five until _recently_ was now _hugging_ someone. 

Trying to dispel any awkwardness from the sudden grab, Kageyama began talking, “I know how important volleyball is to you. I can’t even imagine what you are going through right now with the memory loss. But instead of focusing on the bad parts of the situation, why not focus on the good? You’re remembering,” Kageyama emphasized with a small squeeze of his arms, “It might only be small parts now, but it’s better than before when it was nothing.” 

Kageyama felt arms wrap around his lower back, “Moving forward despite everything that’s going on, that’s pretty hard to do. You-You’re a strong person.” 

Those words seemed to be the last push for the orange haired boy, as his grip around Kageyama tightened. Burying his face into Kageyama’s shoulder, Hinata let out small sobs, feeling as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders for the time being. 

“Why are you so nice to me?” Hinata mumbled out between sobs into Kageyama’s shoulder. 

A faint smile crossed Kageyama’s face. Hinata might think that Kageyama was nice now, but once he got his memories back, that would be a whole different story, “Because I’m your friend.” 

Hinata grunted in response, staying under Kageyama’s hold for a little longer. After a minute, Hinata finally pulled away, “Kageyama,” He sniffled, catching the attention of the raven haired student, “Thank you. That helped a lot.” 

A curt nod came from Kageyama, who stood up from the bench to stretch out his arms. Hinata followed, “I feel so much better now. Like when you’re mad, and you take out your frustration by punching a pillow or something. _Boom boom!”_ Hinata motioned a few punches in the air, earning a bored gaze from Kageyama. Hinata giggled, “It’s like you were my punching bag for today, Kageyama!” 

“Better watch what you say, or you will become a literal punching bag. By me.” 

“Is that a challenge, Kageyama?” 

Hinata barely missed the swift hand coming for his face. 

  
  


~~~~

“So guess what,” Hinata prompted Kageyama on Monday during their lunch break. 

“What?” Kageyama asked before taking a sip from his milk box, going along with whatever Hinata was about to pull.

“I’m going to come watch your volleyball practice tomorrow!” Hinata exclaimed.

Kageyama choked on his milk, causing a spew of coughs. 

“Jeez Kageyama. Don’t sound so excited.” 

Finally regaining his composure, Kageyama faced Hinata, “I could’ve been dying, and that’s your response?” Hinata shrugged, eating some rice from his lunch. 

A sigh came from Kageyama, “Anyway, why? And how did you get out of tutoring for that? 

Hinata swallowed his food, “I talked to Takeda, since he’s tutoring me tomorrow. He said that it was ok because my grades are doing well at the moment considering… you know,” Hinata motioned with his finger to his head, “And it’s because I miss volleyball. After what you said yesterday - about moving forward - I decided that I need to get fully back into the sport, with or without my memories.” 

Hinata resumed eating his lunch while Kageyama pondered what the former middle blocker had just told him. Honestly, Kageyama doubted that it was what he said that spurred Hinata back into volleyball. It was Hinata, after all, that asked Kageyama to teach him the basics of the sport last week. The need to play had always been there, it was just a matter of time. This determination that Hinata carried for volleyball, no matter the circumstance, made Kageyama smile. 

“What are you smiling about? It’s really creepy.” 

As quickly as it came, Kageyama’s smile left his face.

“Oh, could it be that you’re happy I’m coming to volleyball practice tomorrow?” 

Silently, Kageyama stood up, making his way toward the school doors. He could hear Hinata scrambling behind him, squawking out “Wait, I’m not done with my lunch yet!”. 

The next day found the former freak duo walking to the club room, the school day done in the blink of an eye (or at least that’s how it felt to Kageyama). They walked at a slow pace while Kageyama listened to Hinata complain about having to clean the classroom today, the shorter boy’s arms animated with each word. Even with their slow walking it didn’t take long for the two to arrive at the club room, Hinata following Kageyama in. 

Noticing other people’s belongings strewn about the room, but no one else there, Hinata asked, “Where is everyone else?” 

“In the gym. Practice started a little bit ago,” Kageyama answered, pulling out his gym clothes from his bag. 

“What? Sorry I didn’t know I would make you late!” Hinata apologized, “I would have cleaned faster if I remembered…” Hinata trailed off, “..when practice started.” 

Kageyama turned his body to face Hinata, “Hey, it’s fine. Like I said it started not too long ago, we didn’t miss anything important,” Kageyama said, trying to cheer up Hinata, who still looked disheartened. Kageyama knew that being late wasn’t what was causing Hinata to wear such an expression but rather his end remark, “It’s fine,” He repeated in a softer tone as they gazed at each other, both understanding what Kageyama was really addressing, “alright?”

“Right,” Hinata agreed with a nod. Attempting to change the silent tension in the air Hinata opened his mouth to talk but quickly slammed it shut as Kageyama began taking off his uniform coat. Folding the coat neatly and setting it aside, Kageyama moved to his shirt, undoing each button, not realizing the existential crisis Hinata was having a few feet away from him. 

In spite of the embarrassment raging throughout his entire being, Hinata couldn’t look away. Couldn’t take his eyes off the defined muscles of Kageyama’s arms that the sleeves of his uniform hugged very nicely. Or his strong broad shoulders, adding bulk to his frame. Hinata was too busy ogling Kageyama that he didn’t notice until the last second that Kageyama was taking off his undershirt, leaving him bare. Hinata got a glimpse of a defined torso before he couldn’t take it any longer, turning his body to face the opposite end of the room. 

Hinata never really noticed how built Kageyama was until now, making the shorter boy recognize…Well, he wasn’t exactly sure. The word cute came to mind. Hinata wouldn’t exactly say Kageyama’s body was cute, but his face was. On a good day. When his scowl wasn’t ruining it (why would he ruin such a nice face anyway by looking grumpy all the time?). So his face was cute..ish, but his body was _nice_. Hinata rubbed his chin and scrunched his face as he tried to come up with a word that described the setter behind him. A few seconds passed when Hinata’s eyes shot open.

He figured it out. 

Kageyama was _attractive._

Heat rose to Hinata’s cheeks at the conclusion.

“Hey,” Kageyama called out to him, causing Hinata to shriek and turn around quickly, noticing Kageyama was now in his gym clothes, “Didn’t you bring anything to change into?” The taller boy asked with a hand on his hip. 

“No,” Hinata said with a shake of his head, “I was told I would only be watching, so I didn’t see the need to bring clothes?” 

Kageyama tapped his chin a couple of times before going to his bag, rummaging around. Pulling something out of his bag, Kageyama faced Hinata once again, “I have some spare clothes if you want to borrow these?” 

The image of Kageyama’s shirt on himself popped into Hinata’s mind, baggy and probably comfy. He liked the idea a little _too_ much. Hinata wasn’t sure if his face could get any more red, “N-No! I’m good!” 

Kageyama gave him a look, placing his clothes on his bag, “Are you feeling ok? Your face is kind of red.”

“Yep! Feeling great! Just eager to watch practice is all!” Hinata lied with a wobbly smile. 

The setter felt a little concerned, but decided to brush it off for now, “Ok, you can put your backpack next to mine” He motioned before grabbing his volleyball shoes and walking to the club door. Hinata did just that, eagerly joining Kageyama as they made their way to the gym. 

Upon entering the gym all activity ceased as everyone's attention turned to Hinata. Kageyama gave an awkward nod to the coach before stepping to the side to put on his volleyball shoes. 

“Hinata,” Coach Ukai called him over and also waved over the rest of the team, “Glad to see you back,” He told the orange haired boy with a smile, “Do you remember any of the players?” 

Scanning the crowd of boys, Hinata gave a small shake of his head, “I only really know Sugawara since he came by a couple of times while I was in the hospital.” 

“That’s fine. I’ll have them introduce themselves so you can put a name to a face.” Ukai said with a thumbs up. 

“Now,” the coach spoke to the group, “As you were all informed yesterday, Hinata is here to watch practice. Please don’t be distracted too much; we have the second half of the spring national rounds to focus on.” Ukai addressed, “Before we go back to practicing, I’d like you all to introduce yourselves - just your name and position, nothing more.” 

Names were thrown about (that’s what it felt like to Hinata at least, trying to keep track of them all) and practice started up once again. Hinata watched from the sidelines as Coach Ukai gave the team directions on their drill: receives. The former player grew attentive observing the exercise since this was something he had been practicing recently with Kageyama. After a few minutes Hinata became antsy. It was hard to just stand by and watch when he would rather be on the court. 

A voice from his right startled him, “Uhm, are you doing ok Hinata?” Turning his head Hinata found a short blond girl next to him. It took him a few seconds to recall her name (Yachi, one of the managers). 

“Yeah, why?” 

“Well you seemed a little restless,” Hinata stared at her, “L-Like it’s hard to stay in one spot. I imagine you’d prefer to be playing volleyball than standing here watching.” 

“Oh” Hinata realized with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” They both shared a giggle before Hinata glanced back at the court, listening to Tanaka (if he remembered correctly) roar as he got his fifth receive in, earning a “Tanaka, be quiet!” from Suga (ok yeah Hinata was correct). 

“While I don’t remember volleyball, I really do miss it. So yeah it’s hard to be over here rather than on the court.” 

“I think everyone else feels the same way,” Yachi replied, “We’ve been doing our best, but it’s clear that something’s missing. So we’re all very happy to have you here, even if you’re only on the sidelines.” Hinata turned to Yachi with a genuine smile on his face. She returned a smile of her own, glad to know her words helped Hinata feel better. 

Another yell caught their attention. 

“Rolling THUNDER!” Nishinoya projected while diving for the ball, rolling on the floor to get back into a receiving position. 

“Woah!!!” Hinata exclaimed just as Ukai dismissed the team for a water break before the next drill started. The orange haired boy made his way to Nishinoya, “What was that move you did just now?!” 

Nishinoya took a few gulps from his water bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “That’s called rolling thunder! My signature receive!” He answered with a thumbs up. 

Awing at the statement, Hinata bounced in place, “So cool! Show me! Show me!” 

Letting out a booming laugh, Nishinoya put a hand on Hinata’s shoulder, “Of course!” 

Before the two could continue talking, Tanaka invited himself into the conversation, “Leave it to your amazing senpais to show you how to be the best player, eh?” Hinata squealed in excitement. 

“I hope you’re not talking about yourself,” Tsukishima retorted from behind Tanaka.

“Well that’s not very nice,” Hinata commented. 

Tsukishima glared at Hinata, “There’s more where that came from, just wait.” 

Making a ridiculous face, Hinata put up both of his arms, one hand in a fist, the other acting as a shield, “Huh, you wanna fight?” 

Tanaka repeated the gesture, joining Hinata, “Yeah, wanna go, eh?” 

Tsukishima sighed at the two.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi called out as he approached the growing group, “Stay calm!” 

“Shut up Yamaguchi.”

“Sorry Tsukki.” 

By now most of the volleyball team gathered around Hinata, enjoying the playful banter and company. Daichi and Suga stood off to the side, watching as their team became whole once again. Daichi was the first to speak up, “It’s as if nothings changed over these past weeks,” earning a hum from Suga.

“I’m glad, though” the silver haired senior said, “It’s nice to see some normality considering everything that’s happened.” 

A few minutes later Coach Ukai had the team resume practice, working on their serves for some time. 

“Alright, _quick_ drink break this time, got it?” Ukai emphasized once their serving exercise was done, getting a loud “Yeah!” as a response. 

Kageyama grabbed his water bottle and made his way over to Hinata, who was now sitting against a wall, “How are you doing?” 

“Doing good. It feels nice to be back, although I’m only watching.” 

“I’m shocked you haven’t tried to jump in. Or that you’re even staying in the same spot for five minutes.” A small “hey!” came from Hinata but Kageyama ignored it in favor of taking a drink from his bottle. 

Hinata stretched his legs out in front of him, “I know I’d get in the way if I did try,” The shorter boy focused his attention on Kageyama, “But I’ll be back on the court soon,” He put up a fist. Kageyama stared at Hinata, letting a small smile overtake his usual frown, giving a fist bump to his (former) decoy. 

“Wow, you two are oblivious,” Tsukishima commented from nearby in a monotone voice, close enough to hear and see the duo’s interaction just now. 

“Oblivious?” Hinata repeated with an eyebrow slightly raised. 

“Maybe too oblivious for the simpleton,” The blond shrugged. 

Kageyama scowled at the taller player, “Tsukishima,” He said in a low, serious tone. 

Another shrug. 

Before Hinata could ask him what he meant, Coach shouted over the idle chatter, gathering the team back together for practice. Kageyama faced Hinata, “Practice should be done soon,” He informed Hinata. 

“Oh, ok,” Hinata answered just as Kageyama walked back with Tsukishima, who said something to the dark haired boy. It caused Kageyama’s cheeks to flush slightly and scowl even more. Hinata barely made out the comment.

_Who knew the king could have feelings for someone?_

As the team started their last drill - spiking - Hinata thought over what the middle blocker told them not too long ago. What did he mean when he said ‘oblivious’? Hinata wasn't the best when it came to vocab. Was he trying to call them idiots? But that didn’t make sense, plus Tsukishima already called him a simpleton. 

Maybe he was an idiot. 

Hinata sighed, pulling his knees to his chest while watching practice, the sound of each spike resonating throughout the gym. His eyes instinctively found Kageyama, who set up one perfect toss after another for each player. 

Hinata’s mind wandered through all of his interactions with the setter since the accident. Kageyama had been nothing but kind (ok, well mostly) to him, offering him words of reassurance, company, and someone to (literally) lean on at times. Staring at the floor, his mind flashed back to the club room, the weekends spent together, their lunch breaks. 

A warmth filled his stomach.

Coach Ukai paused the drill to make a comment about something that Hinata didn’t catch. As Ukai talked to the team, Hinata’s eyes drifted back to Kageyama, only to find the setter already looking at him. A small gasp left his mouth, the warmth pooling throughout his body, heat rising to his cheeks. 

_Oh. Maybe this is what Tsukishima meant._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER:  
> This story is fiction. Any depiction of medical injury, recovery, or advice has been pulled from internet searches and tweaked to fit this narrative. Do not use the information in this fic for anything related to medicine. 
> 
> The final chapter is here! I'm sorry it took a month for an update. There were a lot of changes made to my original outline as I was writing the chapter, and there was a lot of adding/deleting/shortening/lengthening various scenes and details. 
> 
> A few quick points:  
> 1\. NEW TAGS HAVE BEEN ADDED. Please read this chapter with caution if the tags at hand are troubling for you in any way. I marked the particular scene with **** rather than my signature ~~~~  
> 2\. I include a doctor character in part of this chapter. I did this more so for you guys to be able to see my perspective on amnesia and memory loss after all of the internet searching I did. I found many helpful threads about people's own experiences with this topic and how they have/are handling it, and everyone's experiences are so different. I tried my best to implement these experiences, but even with those threads and personal accounts, it was hard to as someone that hasn't actually been through this experience. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this fic! I'll include more notes at the end about my endless gratitude. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Practice was over soon enough as Ukai had everyone sit around him to reflect on today's practice; what they did good and what still needed improvement. He addressed their matches coming up that weekend and their possible opponents, although the official brackets were going to be released in a day or two. 

All of this went over Hinata’s head, who was sitting with the other players but near the back. His mind was too busy going over the revelation he had - he _likes_ Kageyama. And, if he was putting the pieces together correctly, Kageyama liked him back. 

This, along with sitting around for hours without really doing anything drove Hinata silently mad, needing to burn off some of the energy he had built up from watching practice. He also wanted to spend some time with Kageyama now that he had a reason. Something that explained his feelings for the setter - feelings that he’s had since coming back to school. 

A clap tore Hinata away from his thoughts, “Alright. That’s all I have for you. Get some rest and I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Ukai dismissed the team and a booming “Yeah!” was their response before everyone dispersed to clean up the gym. 

Hinata attempted to help the team clean, but was swiftly thwarted away by Kageyama, who sent the shorter boy to the club room to wait (Kageyama was probably trying to be nice, but Hinata didn’t want to _sit_ and _wait_ any longer). Luckily (and to his surprise) Kageyama was the first one out of the gym and in the club room. He must have said that out loud because Kageyama gave him a weird look.

“It doesn’t take us long to clean up,” The setter clarified before walking into the room. As to prove his point, Hinata could hear the other players walking up the steps. Tanaka and Nishinoya stopped outside to make idle chat with Hinata, asking about practice and then branching off into random topics. Being engrossed in the chat, Hinata didn’t notice that Kageyama joined the group until Suga interrupted the discussion. 

“Oh good, you guys are still here. Has anyone left yet?” When Kageyama replied with a ‘no’ (and causing Hinata to jump a little - now realizing Kageyama was there) Suga let out a quick sigh, “Ok, I told those that are on their way here, but Daichi is going to treat to meat buns!” At the sound of food, Nishinoya and Tanaka dashed into the club room to change quickly. 

Hinata glanced at Suga, then Kageyama, silently wondering if he was also invited to grab a meat bun. Reading Hinata’s questioning glances, Suga spoke up, “and that includes you too, Hinata, if you want.” 

Hinata couldn’t contain the big grin on his face, “Yes! Thank you!” 

Suga put up his hands meekly, “Don’t thank me, thank Daichi when you see him.” 

Soon everyone left the school together and made their way to Sakanoshita shop, running into Coach Ukai once they got there. The meat buns were passed around and roars of ‘thank you’ were projected at Daichi before the group was reminded to ‘go home and eat a decent meal’ by their coach. The team chatted for a little bit, then slowly dissipated as everyone went home. Kageyama and Hinata decided to rest on a small grassy field nearby since Hinata was having trouble walking with his bike and eating his meat bun at the same time. 

Hinata let out a content sigh after finishing his food, looking at Kageyama who was lying on the grass, one arm over his forehead, and eyes closed. He copied the dark haired student, but didn’t stay still for long as the silence got to him. 

“Kageyama, how long are we going to stay here for? I’m bored, let’s go do something.” 

“Or” Kageyama countered, “we could do nothing. That sounds like a better idea.” 

Hinata sat up with a huff, staring down at Kageyama, who looked so relaxed. A small warmth began pooling in Hinata’s stomach at the sight, “You’re no fun,” He told the setter before throwing himself on top of Kageyama’s chest, earning a heavy grunt from the boy under him. The warmth grew as Hinata rested his head on Kageyama’s chest, feeling his heart race a little (or was that Kageyama’s heart? He wasn’t sure). 

“Kageyama.” 

Thinking that the shorter boy was still bugging him about doing something, Kageyama muttered “So childish,” while sitting up (noticing Hinata’s weight wasn’t on him anymore). He opened his eyes only to find Hinata staring right at him, their faces close. 

Without giving it much thought (because when has he ever done that?) Hinata closed the gap between the two, pressing their lips together. It felt a little awkward as Kageyama seemed to be frozen, not reacting at all. But Hinata was determined to get some sort of reaction. He pulled away slightly only to push back in again, his lips finding Kageyama’s with more force. A hand slowly came up to cradle Hinata’s face before he felt Kageyama kissing him back. 

_Finally_.

They shared another earnest kiss, Hinata losing himself to the sensation; the gentleness of the hand on his face; the desperate strength of Kageyama’s lips moving with his; the faint taste of meat buns. Hinata wanted to laugh at the last one, and wanted to share the funny thought with Kageyama. But before he could do anything the hand on his face moved to his shoulder and pushed him away, both students panting, staring at each other. Hinata recognized the expression on Kageyama’s face and it’s not what he was expecting to see at this moment. 

Guilt. 

Hinata tried moving closer to the raven haired boy, but the grip on his shoulder was solid, keeping him in place, “Kagey-” 

“I-I’m sorry!” Kageyama blurted out. 

Confusion was written on Hinata’s face, “Sorry? What are you apologizing for?” 

“What I did just now,” He shook his head, “It wasn’t right for me to do that. I’m sorry.” 

“How was it not right?” 

Kageyama pulled his hand away from Hinata’s shoulder, his brows furrowed and eyes to the ground, “I was taking advantage of you.” 

Now Hinata’s brows scrunched together, but rather in shock, “No you weren’t! I kissed you first because I like you. And I thought you kissed back because you like me too, right?”

Kageyama worried his bottom lip with his teeth, keeping his eyes on the grass below them. The lack of response made Hinata’s stomach drop, his panic growing, “Kageyama” He said with a shaky voice. 

“I like you.” Kageyama spoke up, “but I can’t like you right now.” 

“What does that even mean?” Hinata asked, baffled by the statement. 

“I’ve known you since our middle school tournament. I got to know you when we started our high school volleyball season together. So much has happened in that amount of time, so much that I fell for you. But,” He took an unsteady breath in, “you, right now, don’t remember me. You’ve only known me for three weeks. I just - I can’t return your feelings. Not like this.” 

Hinata could feel his eyes begin to tear up as he tried to blink them back, but failed. Kageyama noticed the tears fall onto Hinata’s cheeks, causing him to curse to himself and grit his teeth as he attempted to get up. A hand grabbing his arm stopped him, “K-Kageyama,” Hinata stuttered out. 

Kageyama held onto the hand holding his arm, “Hinata, I’m sorry. Sorry for hurting you, for making you cry. But I can’t act on these feelings. What would happen if, once you got your memories back, you realized you didn’t like me? I can’t - I don’t want to lose you like that,” Kageyama loosened Hinata’s grip on his arm, but still held the hand in his, “When you regain your memories, we can go from there. I’m still your friend, and I’ll stay by you.” 

Hinata pulled his hand away from Kageyama’s, wiping his tears away before standing up and grabbing his bike. Kageyama attempted to follow him, but Hinata shook his head, “Please, don’t. I just want to be alone right now.” With that, Hinata hopped onto his bike and took off quickly, not wanting to be stopped by Kageyama. 

It felt like it took forever for Hinata to make it back home, all of his energy gone from the moment Kageyama turned him down. Eventually, Hinata made it home, giving his parents a quick greeting before heading to his room, dressing in comfy clothes, and settling into his bed. 

His mind went over what Kageyama said to him - _when you regain your memories._ Who knew how long that would take? What would happen between them if he never regained his memories? Or worse, what would happen if he never remembered Kageyama? 

_I’ll stay by you._

The thought made Hinata snort, as if a sick joke was being played on him. If Hinata didn’t remember Kageyama, what point was there to stay by his side? It was like Kageyama said - Hinata didn’t truly know him. It would be selfish to keep Kageyama to himself when he, in reality, barely knew the guy. Even so, that didn’t stop the hole he felt in his chest thinking about not having Kageyama around. 

The faint call of his name from his mom pulled him away from his thoughts, groaning as he got up, making his way to the kitchen where his mom was. 

“Yeah?” Hinata asked his mom, scratching the back of his head with a yawn. 

“Dinner is ready. Help set up the table, please? Natsu, you too! Stop watching that movie!” 

Hinata’s eyes wandered to the living room TV and Natsu, who was sitting right in front of the screen, “What movie are you watching?”

Natsu turned her head to Hinata, “The Muppets Take Manhattan. Kermit the Frog has the same problem as you do, big brother!” 

“Huh?”

Natsu pointed to her head, “He suffered an accident and can’t remember anything.” She turned back to the TV. 

“Oh,” Hinata sounded quietly, watching the characters on the screen. Kermit said something about a pig and frog being in love, causing Miss Piggy to punch him, “Natsu, should you be watching this?” Hinata questioned but got a quick ‘shh!’ as a reply. After the hit, Kermit remembered everything and the cast celebrated. Hinata pondered the scene, rubbing the back of his head where his scar was from his injury. 

“I don’t see the table set up!” Warned his mother, causing the siblings to scramble from their spots. 

****

School the next day was a little awkward between the former duo. Usually, before class started in the morning, Kageyama and Hinata would talk to each other (with Hinata leading the conversation). Today, Kageyama kept his distance. Not because of what happened yesterday, but because Hinata looked deep in thought (which was _very_ unusual). Whatever it was on his mind it was probably important, so Kageyama let him be.

Lunch time rolled around and Hinata still had that far away look on his face. Kageyama approached the shorter boy at his desk,

“Hinata.”

As if taken out of his trance, Hinata blinked a couple of times before his eyes landed on Kageyama’s face, “Huh? Yeah?” 

Kageyama motioned to the door with his head, hands in his pockets, “It’s time for lunch.” 

“Oh- okay, yeah,” Hinata grabbed his lunch box out of his bag, following Kageyama to the usual vending machine before they made their way to their lunch spot outside. 

The duo sat in silence, Kageyama drinking from his milk box while Hinata poked and prodded at his lunch. 

“Hinata,” Kageyama called out, noticing that he wasn’t eating. Which was also _unusual_. 

“Mm?” Hinata hummed, focusing on his food. 

“Are you going to play with your food or actually eat it?” 

A dry laugh came from Hinata, “I’m not that hungry right now,” He answered, placing his lunch box next to him. 

Kageyama scrunched his eyebrows, “Have- Are you feeling alright? Is it because of what happened yesterday?” 

“Sorry, for making you worry” Hinata apologized, “I’ve been thinking about something I saw yesterday on TV.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Hinata was silent for a couple of seconds before he let out a sigh, “Natsu was watching a movie, where a character had amnesia, but once they were punched they got their memories back. It just got me thinking…” His voice drifted off.

Kageyama raised an eyebrow, “That you want to get punched?” 

“No!” Hinata said, waving his hands in front of him, “It got me thinking about my own injury,” Hinata brought a hand to the back of his head, touching his scar, “What if I hit my head again?” He let his hand fall into his lap and his head fall against the wall behind him, causing Kageyama to wince at the unexpected force, “Would my memories come back too?” Hinata brought his head forward, his eyes looking at the ground. 

Taking in Hinata’s words and actions - letting his head just _f_ _all_ against the brick - Kageyama quickly glanced at the wall, then to Hinata, as the pieces came together. He brought an arm out, wrapping it around Hinata’s head, before pulling the smaller boy into his lap with his other arm. He pressed his own back to the surface, acting as a barrier. 

“Ka-Kageyama!” Hinata tried to move, but the hold around him was strong. 

“No,” Kageyama responded, cradling Hinata’s head to his chest, “Please, don’t.” 

Hinata halted his movements, “What?” 

“You were thinking about hitting your head against the wall just now, weren’t you?” 

His movements picked up again, but Kageyama didn’t budge, “Kageyama, let me go!” Hinata grunted angrily, “I wasn’t-” 

“I can’t. I won’t-” Kageyama let out a pained breath as Hinata continued to struggle, “-I won’t let you get hurt again!” Hinata’s motions faltered, “I couldn’t do anything back then, so you should damn well believe I won’t let you injure yourself based off of some dumb movie.” 

Hinata went still in Kageyama’s arms, both boys breathing heavily from the ordeal. A small sob came from Hinata, “I was,” He confessed before his sobs grew, shaking his body. Kageyama tightened his arms around Hinata, running his fingers through orange hair in hopes of comforting him. 

“I want to remember,” Hinata mumbled in between cries. Kageyama hummed in response, not sure what to say. Hinata began moving, which made Kageyama worry and instinctively lock his hold once again. He soon found out why Hinata was moving, as brown eyes stared back at him, bloodshot and slightly swollen, “I want to remember you, Kageyama,” Hinata whispered before burying his head back into Kageyama’s chest, his cries picking back up. 

Kageyama paused at hearing those words - the overwhelming sense of helplessness that he felt during Hinata’s accident coming back full force. The setter rested his cheek on Hinata’s head, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent his own tears from falling. 

****

Once the lunch period ended, Hinata decided it would be best to go home for the rest of the day. After talking to his teacher (before class started up again), Hinata was sent to the staff offices, where he waited with another teacher until his mother could come pick him up from school - as Hinata told them that he was feeling nauseous and dizzy, rather than what actually happened. 

For Kageyama, the rest of the school day went by in a blur. He couldn’t take his mind off of what Hinata said to him and the vulnerability that manifested itself into Hinata’s earlier behavior. These worries carried over into volleyball practice. The team - aware that Kageyama was preoccupied and not as invested in practice as usual - sent each other concerned glances during practice. The concern grew when Tsukishima gave a sassy retort only to receive a quiet “sorry” from the dark haired student. 

At the end of practice, Daichi and Suga pulled Kageyama aside to ask him if he was doing alright. Kageyama lied, saying that he just had a bad school day and brushed it off as no big deal. He didn’t want to lie to his upperclassmen, but he also didn’t want to give out too much info regarding Hinata’s current state - that was something for Hinata to tell them when he felt the time was right. 

While they were skeptical of Kageyama’s answer, they didn’t ask any more questions (to Kageyama’s relief) and let the setter go early, reassuring that the rest of the team could handle cleaning the gym. He quickly grabbed his bags from the club room and made his way toward the entrance of the school. Kageyama didn’t want to run into anyone else and offer false, awkward explanations. Nearing the gate, Kageyama glanced over at the bike racks and noticed a familiar bike left behind. At first, he ignored the bike with large strides toward the entrance, but after only making it so far Kageyama turned back around with a growl. The setter got on the bike and began pedaling in the direction of Hinata’s house, thinking it would be troublesome for the shorter boy to try and find a way to school without his bike. 

After pedaling for what seemed like hours, Kageyama arrived at Hinata’s house, panting a little as he got off the bike. _No wonder he has great stamina,_ Kageyama said to himself. Walking up to the front door, he rang the doorbell. He didn’t have to wait long before the door opened, revealing Hinata’s mom behind the door. 

“Oh, Kageyama?” She asked with a surprised tone. He bowed to greet her, and she returned the greeting, “What are you doing here? It’s getting pretty late.” 

Kageyama motioned to the bike resting on his side, “Hinata’s bike. I, uhm, brought it back.” 

“Ah, thank you for doing that! You can set it against the wall for now, I’ll take care of it later,” She pointed with her hand, watching Kageyama set the bike aside. 

“Uhm-” Kageyama spoke up once he was done, “How is he doing?” 

She sighed, “Shouyou’s resting at the moment. It may not seem like it, but he’s been overwhelmed with everything going on. It’s taken its toll on him. We’re lucky to have gotten a last minute appointment with his doctor for tomorrow, and I’m going to have him stay home for the rest of the week.” 

Kageyama nodded in response. Unsure of what to say or do, he quickly gave a ‘thank you’ and bid farewell with a bow, turning to leave, “Kageyama,” Hinata’s mom called out, stopping him from leaving, “This has probably affected you also, hasn’t it?” Getting no reply, she continued, “Even so, thank you; Thank you for watching out for Shouyou. It puts my own worries at ease knowing you’re there for him. And I know he appreciates it too.” 

Kageyama stared at her wordlessly before giving her another bow and leaving the residence. 

~~~~ 

“Shouyou! We’re going to be late if you aren’t ready within the next minute!” 

Hinata raced to the front entrance of his house, “Ok, sorry, I’m ready!” He slipped on his shoes and followed his mom out the door, but stopped right as he stepped out.

“My bike?” He voiced out loud, catching his mom’s attention. 

“Yes, please bring it to the back yard once we come back.” She kept on walking 

Hinata furrowed his brows in confusion, “But how-”

“Shouyou!” 

“OK!” 

~~~~

About an hour had passed since Hinata returned from his hospital visit. He spent that hour laying in bed, pondering what his doctor told him:

_“So, Hinata, tell me what happened yesterday.”_

_At the prompt, Hinata retold the events that happened during lunch with Kageyama. It was a lot easier talking about the ordeal than Hinata expected, thinking it was because his doctor resembled Ennoshita quite a bit. The only difference was his eyes were blue, and he had messy short brown hair. His doctor also shared the same caring but authoritative aurora._

_Once Hinata was done explaining, the two went on to discuss the action and reasoning behind said action - where he got the idea from (“You got the idea from a movie?” “Yes.” “Well, that’s a lot more common than you think”) and his desperation to have his memories back._

_“Taking into consideration the extent of your injury, your other symptoms and how they are on and off, and the fact that you already are regaining some memories, I would believe that the rest of your memories should start coming back. At the same time, it is extremely rare to have any sort of dramatic memory loss with a fall to the ground. We could attribute it to the previous hits you’ve taken to the face or head during volleyball, but again, the memory loss is extreme.”_

_Hinata bit his bottom lip, “So, what are you trying to tell me?”_

_“There are a lot of unknowns in your case, so I can’t give you a concrete answer to ease your worries, only assumptions,” The doctor paused to give Hinata time to take in his words, “Sadly, it’s the reality for people that suffer from amnesia and memory loss.”_

_Hinata stared at the wall on the opposite side of the room, his mind going blank at the statement._

_“But,” The doctor continued, grabbing Hinata’s attention once more, “Everyone is different. There are patients who never regain their memories; who regain all of their memories; who only remember certain events or details. Sometimes, they’ll connect the pieces on their own. Other times they’ll have friends or family tell them what happened. Something that is consistent among each individual, though, is that they are able to go on and continue their life.”_

_“It might not be a solid answer, or an answer you were hoping to hear, but it’s hard to fully know the outcome. To put it simply, our brains are amazing, but are also very fragile. And while we know the basics of the brain's anatomy and physiology, there are still things we have yet to learn about it.”_

The idea of filling in the gaps within his memory lingered on his mind. After the park incident with Kageyama - where he snapped at the taller student - Hinata had made the resolve to get back into volleyball with or without his memories. His thinking behind the decision was that he expected his memories to come back as he re-experienced the sport and interacted with the team. Similar to when he had the deja vu moment with Kageyama in the gym. 

Now, Hinata realized that his assumptions were wrong. He couldn’t just assume his memories would come back automatically. He would need to put everything together - whether he actually remembered them or not. Luckily he had a great group of people to help him through this journey: his family, his teammates, Kageyama. 

A new, stronger resolve grew within Hinata: that he wouldn’t be left behind any longer. 

~~~~ 

The school day went by slowly for Kageyama, with his mind wandering for most of his time sitting in class. There was the next round of matches for spring nationals coming up tomorrow. After looking at the bracket during practice yesterday the team found out that - if they won their first two rounds - they would face off with Aoba Johsai once again (that’s if Aoba Johsai also won their previous matches). While no one commented about it, there was a sort of uneasy tension that lingered with the team at finding out the possible rematch. Not because of their loss the previous time, but because Hinata wouldn’t be there on the court with them if the rematch happened. 

Speaking of the former decoy, he was also in Kageyama's thoughts, the empty seat near the front of the classroom acting as a constant reminder. Kageyama himself was still a little rattled by the incident at lunch on Wednesday, so he could only imagine how Hinata must be feeling at the moment. It also didn’t help that he hadn’t spoken to Hinata since the other day, but he wasn’t really sure how to start a conversation. Usually it was Hinata that would begin talking and Kageyama would just go off of what the shorter boy said. 

Kageyama wasn’t good with conversations. Or feelings. 

The school day (finally) ended and Kageyama packed his bag, heading out of the classroom. Stepping into the hallway, Kageyama spotted Shimizu and Yachi standing a little ways away. The third year was handing over a small bag to Yachi before the two parted. Thinking nothing of it, Kageyama made his way to the club room. 

Yachi walked briskly through the school hallways until she left the building, where she then transitioned to a light jog until she arrived at the school entrance. She took a few steps beyond the gate, noticing a familiar orange haired student standing with a bike. 

“Hinata!” Yachi greeted while holding up the bag in her hands, “I got the volleyball tapes for you!” 

Hinata approached her to take the bag, “Thanks Yachi! So, these are all of the official matches Karasuno’s had so far?” 

The blonde made an affirmative sound, “Yep! All the ones you’re in. Kiyoko also put together the recent spring national prelim matches. While you’re not in those, she thought you’d still like to see them.” 

“I really do appreciate this. Give Shimizu my thanks also!” He grinned before putting the bag of DVD’s in his own backpack. 

“So,” Yachi started, “You’re planning to watch the previous matches to regain your memories?” 

“That’s part of the plan. I’m hoping that watching the matches will make things click back into place. I also plan on talking to each of the team members and see if what they tell me will help me remember. If not,” Hinata gave a shrug, “Then at least I’m able to fill in the gaps with what they all have to say. But,” He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a nervous laugh, “I think I’m going to have a problem talking to some of the players.” 

Yachi raised an eyebrow, “Do you mean Tsukishima?” 

“Yes.” 

They both shared a laugh at the blunt answer. 

“It’ll be fine,” She reassured, “While it may not seem like it, Tsukishima has his own ways of caring for the team.” 

Hinata recalled the practice he sat in on recently, not really getting any caring vibes from the tall blond, “I hope you’re right.” 

“Well, the moon can’t shine bright without the sun!” 

Hinata tilted his head to the side, “Huh?”

“Uh, nevermind,” Yachi looked back at the school buildings, “But I have to get to practice. Feel free to text me about anything!” 

Hinata waved to her, “Thanks again Yachi!” 

~~~~

The team arrived at the Sendai City gym in the morning (‘too early!’ Takana commented) and began their warmups as they were one of the teams set to play right away. In order to advance to the final round of the spring national qualifier, Karasuno would have to play against three teams and win each match. Not only would the finalists be determined by skill, but also endurance. 

The match against Johzenji High started soon after their warmups. While their opponents banner read ‘Simplicity and Fortitude’, that wasn’t the impression Karasuno got from the team. Instead, the term ‘party team’ that they heard buzzing around fit quite well as the team bounced around the court, seemingly carefree about the match. That didn’t mean that they weren’t tough opponents, though, as Johzenji pulled out random tricks and (literal) kicks during the game. 

Even so, Karasuno kept a small lead on them, staying a few points ahead. Kageyama was determined to keep this lead up and as he saw one of their players come in for a spike, he jumped up for a block. _‘I won’t let you!’_ He thought while jumping into the block, _‘We have to stay on the court the longest! For-’_

_Bam!_

The whistle blew and the point was awarded to Karasuno, but the team’s celebration died down as Kageyama turned around, revealing a red complexion and bloody nose. The team and coaches surrounded him, talking about the injury. At the mention of going to the nurses office, Kageyama objected.

“I’m fine!” he belted, even though there was blood trickling down his face.

“I still want you to go get checked,” Coach Ukai insisted, “It’ll give you some time to cool your head also,” He said with a pointed look at Kageyama, silently telling the student that he was aware his head wasn’t fully in the game. 

After some grumbles from the setter, he was escorted to the nurses office by Yamaguchi before Yachi joined them, letting Yamaguchi return to the gym. 

Once the bleeding stopped and the nurse examined him, Kageyama was told to rest for a few minutes before going back to the gym. Yachi stayed in the nurse's office with him in case anything else happened. 

“Uhm, Kageyama?” The dark haired student turned his attention to her, “You seem to be thinking about something - or well, someone. Is that someone Hinata?” 

Kageyama startled at the comment, confirming Yachi’s suspicions, “I’m not really sure if there’s anything I can say to help,” She confessed and heard a soft sigh come from Kageyama, “but, I do know this,” Yachi offered him a warm smile, “Hinata trusts you to handle things while he’s gone.” 

Hearing the comment made Kageyama pause in thought. Yachi was right. Hinata put his trust in Kageyama - no - the team to keep the season going, to not give up. If Kageyama can’t clear his mind and focus on the match then he’s pulling the team down. 

Yachi spoke up again, “So, you know what you have to do, right?” 

“Mm” Kageyama grunted with a nod. 

“Good!” She turned toward the door, “Then let’s get back out there!” 

“Uh-” Kageyama looked back and forth at the nurse and Yachi, who was almost out of the office, “Okay,” He got up quickly and followed Yachi out. 

Returning to the gym, Kageyama was subbed back in and after two sets the game with Johzenji ended with Karasuno winning. The team had a short break before their second match began against Wakutani South High, who were also resilient opponents, with a sound team led by a strong captain. But after Karasuno’s first win, the nerves that plagued them faded and the team was up for the challenge. Both teams stayed within points of each other during the first set, but Karasuno was able to take it. As the second set went on, Karasuno trailed behind by a couple of points but it wasn’t too big of a gap that they couldn’t recover from. 

That was, until Daichi and Tanaka collided on the court, resulting in Daichi suffering an injury to the head and face. While Daichi deemed himself ok to continue on, Takeda still sent him to the nurse’s office. The unease that the team felt from Hinata’s absence - and now their captain’s - swelled up, and seemed to be the turning tide in the match against them. Feeling the distress among the team, Ukai gathered them together, “Considering the circumstances, I know it’s hard to have Daichi out. Focus on the game ahead of us, and make sure we secure a spot in the next round for Daichi to come back to.” 

The team was still on edge, but agreed with the coach. They chose Ennoshita to take Daichi’s place and the game resumed. With the sudden injury and swap the team wasn’t able to follow Coach Ukai’s advice to focus and lost the second set. During the third set the tension between the two teams and the scoreboard grew, but with Ennoshita’s new found leadership Karasuno was able to come back and take the final set, winning the match. 

With news (from the man himself) that Daichi was fine and ready for their final match, the team rested and watched as Date Tech went up against Aoba Johsai. It was a grueling match but the iron wall couldn’t hold the advanced team back. The final whistle signaled Aoba Johsai as the winners, and now the long awaited rematch with Karasuno was soon to start. 

There was a break between matches, allowing the teams to regroup and prepare. Kageyama made his way to the restrooms, but as he was about to open the door someone stopped him. 

“Yoo-Hoo!”

Kageyama turned to see the last person he wanted to see at that moment, “Oikawa?” 

“Psh, don’t be so happy to see me Tobio,” He waved a hand at the younger student playfully before going serious, “I heard about what happened to Shrimpy - from your captain.” 

“Why are you bringing it up?” Kageyama said with a frown. 

Oikawa put his hands on his hips, “Jeez Tobio, I might not like you but I’m not that mean! I’m not here to pick a fight,” The senior moved his arms, crossing them across his chest, “From one setter to another, I know it must be hard to not have Shrimpy here with you. If the roles were reversed and Iwa couldn’t join me in this fight, I’d be lost too.” 

Kageyama raised an eyebrow at the statement because why was Oikawa being nice to him?? 

“But,” Oikawa raised his arm, pointing at Kageyama, “I need you to be playing at your best!” 

“Huh?”

Oikawa crossed his arms again, and gave a hefty nod, “I said what I said. But don’t get the wrong idea. I need you playing with all you’ve got so that when I beat you the victory will be undisputed.” 

“Uh,” Kageyama sounded as Oikawa began walking away, but the older setter didn’t leave without some parting words, “Whether you’re fueled by our rivalry, or getting a win for Shrimpy, I want no distractions. You play against me at one hundred percent or don’t play at all.” 

“Right…” Kageyama muttered while Oikawa walked away with a wave. 

Momentarily forgetting what he was doing, Kageyama glanced at his surroundings. 

_Is this the bathroom phenomena Hinata has talked about?_

After the short break the teams went back on the court for warm-ups. Once their warm-ups were finished Ukai gathered everyone around, “We made it to the rematch I’m sure you were all eager for. Use those feelings of loss and your new techniques to secure a win.” The team belted out a “Yeah!” before getting into their own huddle, with Daichi leading them on, “We’re another step closer to nationals. Let’s remind everyone we’re no longer fallen crows. Karasuno!” 

_“FIGHT!”_

~

Hinata sighed, standing up from his bed to stretch. He’d been sitting for quite some time with his laptop re-watching old matches. As he had imagined, there were some things coming back to him (like Kageyama always calling him a dumbass, talk about rude), other memories were still fuzzy (a picture collage video that Shimizu made showed Hinata with a boy, who had shoulder length bleach blond hair, he looked familiar but who was he?) and there were things that he still didn’t remember (the iron wall?). 

Deciding to get a few steps in before watching the next match on his laptop, Hinata walked to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. He hummed loudly to himself, paused to take a big gulp of his drink, then resumed his random song. 

Just as Hinata picked up his cup to return to his room, he stopped abruptly, almost dropping his cup in the process. There were a few faint images in his head, but it felt like a light switch went off, as the name of a bleach blond boy came to mind. 

“Kenma!” He blurted out, causing his sister and mom to look at him funny. 

“Pfft!” Natsu laughed at him, getting a “shut up!” in return. 

“I-I’ll be in my room!” With that he made his getaway. 

Returning to his room, Hinata felt giddy. While it was only a name to a face, it was still progress. The newfound memory only made him eager to try and uncover more, grabbing his laptop and the next dvd from the bag. Reading the title made his movements slow down, a pit of guilt and subtle hints of anger swelled in his stomach: 

Karasuno vs. Aoba Johsai

Hinata set his drink on his bed frame shelf and popped the disk into the laptop, starting the match. Tosses were sent back and forth, and Aoba Johsai was in the lead by a few points. That’s when the ‘freak duo’ toss was set in motion, causing Hinata to chuckle, “Heh, they can’t even keep up with it. Good job... me..." Just as Karasuno had the quick as their weapon, their opponents also had ways to fight back. 

The captain of Aoba Johsai (in the film he could hear the name ‘Oikawa’) carried a presence with him on the court. It demanded the attention of the audience, as if to say ‘see what I’m capable of’. And he didn’t disappoint, serving one killer serve after another, pulling some sort of squawk from Hinata each time, and taking more and more points away from Karasuno. After a three point service ace run, Daichi was able to receive the ball cleanly, “Oh! Daichi really is awesome!” Hinata commented while watching his team set up a quick attack. 

Only for it to be shut out. Again and again. Over and over. Each time adding to Hinata’s frustration. 

Hinata’s earlier assumption was wrong. ‘See what I’m capable of…’ Hinata watched as Aoba Johsai huddled together after another successful block, noticing how Oikawa’s influence reached his team; the trust that each member had toward him. ‘.... See what _we’re_ capable of.’ 

To be able to not only perform strongly on your own, but to also guide a team together and show each of their strengths, sort of reminded Hinata of a king. 

No - King wasn’t quite right, that title didn’t belong to Oikawa. Another familiar chord struck within Hinata. 

_The Grand King_

The cheering from the tape pulled Hinata back to reality, another point to their opponents. A few points were gained back by Karasuno, but weren’t kept for long. As the set went on, Hinata could see that the match was getting to someone. “Don’t send it to me,” Hinata whispered to himself while watching Kageyama send him a toss that was blocked. One toss after another was either blocked or didn’t quite make it to the hitter. 

“Kageyama…”

The setter was panicking. 

A whistle blew and the referee signaled for a player change. 

“Kageyama’s being subbed out?!” 

~

Suga let out a breath in an attempt to calm his nerves while walking onto the court. It was the third set and Aoba Johsai was in the lead by two points. 

“Suga”, Daichi called out, “Don’t go into overthinking mode. We got this.” 

“Right,” He nodded before taking his position. 

Aoba Johsai delivered a clean serve and Daichi received the hit, sending it to the setter as all of the players moved into offense: synchronized attack. 

_“He was just sent on the court, no one will suspect it’s him”_ Kageyama said to himself, tossing the ball to Suga, who got a spike in. 

The team erupted in cheers, Suga giving Kageyama a pat on the back, “Nice toss, Kageyama! Man, it still feels weird spiking,” The senior smirked at the setter, “But now, if you feel the need to go on offense, let me know.” 

The match intensified, each team refusing to give in, causing the point gap to stay consistent. Eventually the game went into deuces but neither team backed down. The score was at 31-30 with Karasuno in the lead. One more point. The rotation put Kageyama up to serve in the back row with Asahi and Daichi, and in the front was Suga, Tanaka, and Tsukishima. 

Kageyama spun the ball in his hands. At the whistle, Kageyama took a deep breath and focused his serve, sending the ball up and over the net. Unfortunately it was picked up, and Aoba Johsai set up their attack. “Be ready!” Daichi yelled as they got into defense positions. The spike was sent toward Kageyama’s direction, making him receive the hit.

Sending the ball up, the dark haired first year charged forward, “Suga!” He yelled over the screams of the crowd. 

Suga paused briefly at hearing the nickname since Kageyama usually called him by his full last name. _‘Don’t tell me - now?!’_ Time seemed to slow for Suga as he took in his surroundings. He saw the team running in for their synchronized attack, but Kageyama was already getting ready for a spike. _‘We only practiced a quick attack together a couple of times! And when I said let me know earlier, I didn’t mean now when we’re on the brink of winning or losing!’_

_‘No,’_ Suga thought, _‘Kageyama has the right mindset. Take risks now or never change’._ As the ball landed in his hands, Suga was reminded of their last match against Aoba Johsai, ‘ _It has to be you. Since he’s not here, fight for him!’_ The ball left Suga’s hands, flying in front of Kageyama. 

Using his precision, Kageyama aimed for an area on the court and swung down with the ferocity of an orange haired crow. 

~

Hinata sat stunned on his bed, overcome by Karasuno’s loss to Aoba Johsai. 

Or more so, his memories of it. 

Though he was watching the match on a screen, at some point the motions and colors blurred together until he was there, on the court, fighting alongside his team. At first it didn’t seem real, feeling like a dream of sorts, until he blinked a couple of times. His vision cleared and the video ended but the flashbacks remained. And so did the lingering dreads of their loss, and Hinata’s insecurities with his volleyball skills. 

At some point, Hinata drank all of his water, so he went back into the kitchen to get some more. As he stepped into the kitchen, Natsu called him over from the living room, pointing at the TV, “Brother, look! They’re talking about the volleyball games today!” 

Hinata set his cup down and joined her in the living room, standing nearby as the sport station recalled some of the highlights of the qualifier rounds, “I believe the most surprising upset of the night had to go to the final match. Just watch this.” 

The screen transitioned to the match between Karasuno and Aoba Johsai, showing the winning moment. Just as Kageyama received a spike, all of the Karasuno team went in for an attack, but it was Kageyama who delivered the final spike, ending the game. The gym went silent for a brief minute, with Kageyama looking at his palm before clenching his fist. 

While the cheers echoed on the TV from the match, Hinata copied the movement, staring at his own palm. 

“I want to practice and I want to play.” Hinata declared before clenching his fist. Then he held his arm out to the TV, “I have a lot to do.” 

~~~~

“Sugawara!” Hinata waved his arm as he stood by the school gym before seeing a couple of the other members following him, “Hi guys!” 

“Hinata!” Suga waved back, motioning with his head to Daichi, Tanaka, Asahi, and Nishinoya, “I hope it’s ok that I brought a couple of the others with.” 

The shorter boy shook his head, “That’s more than fine by me!” 

“Well,” Asahi commented, “When Suga told us that you wanted to practice, he thought it would be great to have a three on three practice match. And we all agreed.” 

Daichi rubbed the back of his head, “Originally we were supposed to have regular practice today, but after yesterday's win, Coach Ukai gave us the day off.” 

“I’m still fired up from yesterday!” Nishinoya spoke up, “So let’s get going!” He sprinted for the door, Hinata trailing closely behind. 

“I’m the one with the key, remember?” Suga said in a loud tone, taking his time with the others to walk to the gym entrance. 

Once the net and equipment were set up, their practice match began with Daichi, Suga, and Hinata on one team, and Tanaka, Asahi, and Nishinoya on the other. Throughout the game, the group gave Hinata tips on how to receive better (which didn’t go over well), blocking, and Suga attempted to show him how to set (which didn’t work at all). When it came time for Hinata to spike, the motion seemed to come naturally for him. 

After a couple of points, Asahi jumped up for a spike, sending the ball whizzing past Hinata’s head. 

“Eek!!” Hinata screeched, frozen in place. 

“Hinata?!” Asahi ran over to the shorter boy, “Did I hit you at all? Are you ok? Do you need a doctor?”

Daichi placed an arm on Asahi’s shoulder, “Calm down. It didn’t hit him,” Daichi turned to Hinata, “Right?” 

“I’m fine. It was close, though! I even heard a _zoom_ sound from the ball!” Hinata mimicked the motion with his arm. 

Suga let out a small laugh, “Yeah, you have to be careful with Asahi’s spikes. They’re pretty powerful, and we don’t need you to get hit in the face again by one.” 

“Wait, I was hit by one of his spikes?” the group nodded at him, “In the face?” They repeated the nod. 

Hinata stayed quiet, thinking to himself about something. 

“Uhm, Hinata?” Daichi asked. 

“Tell me about it!” Hinata blurted out. 

Suga let out a sound, “Eh?”

The orange haired boy wore a determined look, “Tell me what happened!” 

“Oh man,” Nishinoya responded without hesitation, “while I was worried about you at the time, now that I think about it,” He held in a giggle, “I wanna laugh.” 

Tanaka stifled his laugh, “Nishinoya!” 

“Stop it you two!” Suga scolded them, making them laugh harder. 

“But it was comical,” the libero tried catching his breath, “It was like out of a cartoon or something!” 

Hinata bounced in his spot, “Tell me! Tell me!” 

The duo bursted out laughing, no longer able to keep it in. 

“ENOUGH!” Daichi raised his voice. 

~~~~

“Well,” Suga rested his hands on his hips as Daichi approached him and Asahi with a bag of meat buns, “We ended up not practicing all that much.” 

Daichi handed a meat bun to Suga, “That’s something we couldn’t really help once the trip down memory lane started,” He gave one to Asahi before taking one out of the bag for himself, “But, I didn’t mind it. He looks a lot happier now.” The three seniors turned and watched Hinata walking toward the shop with Nishinoya and Tanaka, both who were dramatically acting out something to the first year. 

Asahi itched his cheek, “Maybe we shouldn’t let those two tell him anything.” 

Suga nodded in agreement, “Who knows what they’d have that poor boy believing.” 

Daichi laughed at their comments before holding up the bag at the trio, “Hurry up! They’re getting cold.” 

At that, they hurried over, not needing to be told twice when it came to food. 

~~~~

Kageyama was worried.

After their victory against Aoba Johsai on Saturday, Kageyama sent Hianta a text letting him know about the win. The two sent a couple of texts back and forth about the game, mainly Hinata gushing about Kageyama (“You looked so cool with that last spike! You’re amazing!”). Kageyama wasn’t sure how to respond to the texts since he was still getting used to hearing compliments from the shorter student. Eventually they stopped texting, agreeing to see each other on Monday at school. To the setter, everything seemed fine. 

Monday came and Hinata was acting differently. He was silent before class began and later in the day when lunch time came around Hinata told Kageyama that he wouldn’t be able to have lunch with him that day. Which was fine with the taller boy, not wanting to bug Hinata, especially when he looked absorbed in something. 

Kageyama’s day went on and at the end of the school day, Hinata said a quick goodbye, taking off like he did earlier. For the time being, Kageyama shrugged it off and went to volleyball practice. 

At the end of practice Ukai dismissed the team but told them they didn’t have to clean up or put the equipment away, “I have the neighborhood association coming in to practice, we’ll clean everything up.” As if on cue, Shimada and Takinoue walked in, greeting the team and Ukai. While the team filtered out of the gym Kageyama noticed Daichi and Suga staying behind, talking with the trio of adults. 

On his way out, Kageyama saw one bike parked near the entrance, recognizing it as Hinata’s. It was weird because Hinata was usually gone by the time volleyball practice was done. Kageyama blamed it - and everything else today that seemed weird - on the day being a Monday. Tomorrow would be better. Normal. 

Tuesday was not normal. It was almost a repeat of Monday, with Hinata being engrossed in… whatever it was or being busy with other things. As if he was trying to avoid Kageyama. The setter didn’t want to believe that’s what Hinata was doing. If that was the case, what did he do to upset the short student? Other than the incident last week, and the text messages on Saturday, the two hadn’t really talked to each other. So what could’ve happened within this span of time to make Hinata act this way? 

Wednesday came and just like the previous two days, Hinata was acting funny. 

Before the orange haired boy could take off during lunch, Kageyama grabbed him by the arm and dragged Hinata to an empty hallway. 

“K-Kageyama! Wha-”

“What’s wrong?”

“What?” 

Kageyama let out a frustrated sigh, “You’ve been avoiding me this whole week, and won’t talk to me. Did I do something to make you mad?” 

“Eh? No, no I’m not mad at you, and I’m fine,” Hinata pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the time, “But I do have somewhere to be,” He said and started walking away. 

Kageyama went after him, “Wait! Then why are you-” 

Hinata turned around, causing Kageyama to almost run into him, “Everything is fine!” Hinata smiled, “Trust me, _Bakageyama!_ ”

Kageyama stayed rooted to his spot as Hinata disappeared out of his sight, “What the..” he mumbled, then gritted his teeth while going to a nearby vending machine, still mad at the lack of answers. 

_Bakageyama._

His face relaxed at the thought of the old nickname. How did Hinata know about it? 

The rest of the school day went on, but Kageyama could sense a change in the way Hinata was acting. He could practically feel the former player vibrating in his seat. The raven haired boy couldn’t understand why, though, because what was Hinata so excited about? 

Class ended and as soon as they were dismissed, Hinata jumped up from his seat and bolted out of the classroom, a wide grin on his face. Kageyama wanted to go after him but it was his turn to help clean the classroom, and he had to meet with his teacher to talk about assignments or something. He knew about the meeting since yesterday so he told Coach Ukai that he would be late to practice. 

After cleaning, and the meeting with his teacher - who wanted to go over some of his answers on the recent assignments - Kageyama walked to the club room. Once there he threw his stuff down and changed as fast as he could since the meeting took a lot longer than he was planning (that’s valuable volleyball practice wasted). Grabbing his volleyball shoes, Kageyama ran to the gym.

Only to stop dead in his tracks upon entering as he watched Hinata soar in the air, slamming a spike. The short student couldn’t contain his amazement, aweing at his palm while Suga praised him. 

“Perfect timing, Kageyama. We’re just ending a drill,” Coach Ukai said, tilting his head toward an empty part of the gym, “Get warmed up.” 

Giving a curt nod, Kageyama put on his volleyball shoes while Ukai announced an extended water break. Sitting down off to the side of the court, Kageyama began some basic leg stretches. 

“Kageyama!” Hinata sang out, plopping down in front of the setter while taking a drink from his water bottle. 

“Why are you practicing?” Came the blunt question. 

Hinata scoffed, “Cause I’m on the team, duh?” 

Kageyama raised an eyebrow, “I didn’t know you were rejoining. When did this happen?” 

“Well, I’ve been practicing over the past couple of days with the upperclassmen or the neighborhood association.” Hinata was about to add more, but was cut off. 

“So that’s what you’ve been doing this week?” 

Hinata scratched the back of his head, “Heh, yeah. I’ve been using all of my free time to practice so I could come back before the match against Shiratorizawa.” 

Kageyama spread his legs out, leaning his torso down between them, “And you didn’t care to at least let me know about this?” 

Hinata fiddled with his water bottle, “Well, there was a lot more going on than just practice.” Kageyama looked up at him, waiting for an explanation. Meeting his eyes, Hinata responded, “Sorry for making you wait, Kageyama.” 

A look of confusion crossed Kageyama’s face, “What does that mean?” 

Before Hinata could explain, Coach Ukai called everyone back together, telling Kageyama to continue his warm-up and to join in when he’s done. The team moved onto a receiving drill, and not too long after starting the drill did Kageyama jump in. 

With the receiving drills done, Ukai gave the team another water break but pulled Kageyama and Hinata aside, “I want to see if you guys are still able to do your quick.”

“The _schoop_ one?” Hinata asked. 

“Uh, sure.” Ukai answered. 

“Right!” Both Hinata and Kageyama responded at the same time. 

Coach stared at them, dumbfounded, “.... yeah. As long as you two know what you’re talking about. Anyway grab a ball and go for it when you’re ready.” 

Hinata grabbed a ball and the duo took their positions. Sending the ball to Kageyama, Hinata took a running start. The setter noticed where his spiker was running, visualizing where to send the toss. _Drop the ball. Kill the momentum_ , Kageyama told himself. 

Jumping in the air, Hinata watched the ball zoom toward him until it’s speed slowed down in front of him. _The ball comes… and stops._ Just as he remembered, the ball stopped, giving Hinata a chance to aim and swing at the ball with all of his might. 

The ball thudded on the opposite side of the court. The duo paused to stare at each other, feeling the same nostalgia they did after their very first (successful) attempt at the new quick. They both started screaming with excitement and the other members joined in. 

Coach Ukai smirked as he thought to himself, _They’re back._

Practice continued on with more drills, bickering, and competitions, making the team feel whole once again. Ukai stopped practice early to hand out packets about each player in Shiratorizawa, giving the team a brief summary about their opponents. Once Ukai told the students to study as much as they could from the packet, he dismissed them. 

Kageyama and Hinata walked to the school entrance together. After Hinata grabbed his bike, Kageyama stopped him, “I was going to get a meat bun,” He motioned toward the direction of the shop. 

Hinata smirked, “Are you going to buy me one too if I join you?”

“Only if you give me an explanation about what you said earlier,” The dark haired boy squinted. 

Getting a couple of nods from Hinata, the two began walking side by side. 

“I think I got what you meant, but I want to hear it from you,” Kageyama glanced at the middle blocker. 

“It’s a little complicated, but I got most of my memories back.” Hinata confirmed, “The more important memories I have, but the smaller details are either not there or are fuzzy,” He continued to explain, “For the things I can’t remember, I have what others told me so I at least have an idea of what I’m missing.” 

Kageyama was silent for a few seconds, “And you’re ok with this?” 

Shrugging, Hinata let out a sigh, “I have to be. If I don’t accept what’s happened and move on, I’ll be stuck feeling sad for myself and I’ll get nowhere. I can’t be left behind.” 

A small smile crossed Kageyama’s face at hearing the last sentence, “I’m glad you’re not giving up.” 

They arrived at the shop, ordering their meat buns, and found a bench nearby to sit at so they could eat. 

“So,” Kageyama swallowed the food in his mouth, “Do you remember me at all?” 

Taking a bite, Hinata nodded but brought his hand up and shook it in a ‘so-so’ motion. “For the most part, I think I do,” Hinata paused to finish the bite he took, “I remember meeting you in the middle school tournament. There’s our first meeting here at Karasuno.” 

Kageyama interrupted him, “Do you remember hitting me in the head with your serve?” 

Hinata blanched, “Sadly, yes. One of the scariest things I’ve experienced.” 

The two went back and forth, with Kageyama listing off various events and seeing if Hinata recalled them or not. 

“Do you remember when we ran into Ushijima?” 

Hinata stared at Kageyama, a gleam in his eyes, “Yep, and this Saturday,” He held up his fist, “We’re gonna show him what concrete can grow.” 

Kageyama brought his fist up, the two bumping each other, “Good.” 

Finishing their food, they both stood up and made their way down the street until they came to a crossroad, Kageyama needing to go one way, and Hinata the other. 

Before the setter could get out his goodbye, Hinata stopped him, “Earlier at practice… you understood what I also meant by ‘sorry for making you wait’, right?” 

“I think so,” He answered, taking a step toward the shorter boy to close the distance between the two. Leaning down, Kageyama caressed his cheek, “Tell me if I’m wrong.” 

Hinata quickly shook his head. 

“I haven’t done anything yet. How do you know I’m not wrong?” 

Hinata’s eyes widened in disbelief, “You’re rubbing my cheek and our faces are very close. What else could this mean?!” 

Kageyama pulled back a little, “Well, I don’t know. Maybe I’m checking for any crumbs.” 

“Oh my god, it’s called reading the air. A volleyball genius like you should be able to at least do that. I can’t-”

Hinata was complaining too much for Kageyama’s liking. 

Closing back in, Kageyama silenced Hinata with a kiss, receiving a surprise hum from the orange haired student. Pulling away, they stared at each other for a few seconds before Hinata pushed back in, planting a deeper kiss with a little more force than the first. 

Separating from one another, Hinata gave his response to Kageyama’s earlier statement, “You weren’t wrong.” 

Kageyama straightened out his posture and took a step back, his cheeks turning red, “Well I know that now.” 

“Awe, Kageyama. You’re cute when you blush!” 

“S-Shut up, dumbass.” 

The two bickered for a few minutes longer before they realized how late it was getting. As Hinata got on his bike, Kageyama stopped him, “Be ready for practice tomorrow. We have a lot of catching up to do.” 

Hinata grinned playfully at the challenge, “Don’t go easy on me.” 

“I wasn’t planning to.” 

At the declaration, the two parted ways. As Hinata pedaled back to his house he took a deep breath in while the wind whirled around him. He’d be lying if he said riding his bike didn’t remind him of a crow in flight. And after the past month of being confined in a cage by his own mind, the breeze felt amazing. There were still grey area’s, and what was to come was still uncertain. Regardless of it all - as the faces of those close to him flashed in his mind - and all of the help and comfort they provided, Hinata knew:

He’d be alright. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! It's the end of the fic! Thank you all so much for reading and joining me through this story! Also thank you for the kudos and comments! It warms my heart greatly knowing I was able to write something you enjoy! 
> 
> I have another fic in the works for Kagehina, but it's pretty dark (yeah I can't believe it either). So if you like my writing be on the lookout for my next work! 
> 
> I also have a tumblr! Feel free to check it out! [kittensocute](https://kittensocute.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Again, thank you all so much for the support!


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